


Becoming Us

by blueolympus



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Female Pidge | Katie Holt, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Five Years Later, Hunk & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Pansexual Lance (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Post-Season/Series 07, Post-Season/Series 07 AU, Pregnancy, Pregnant Pidge, Unplanned Pregnancy, lidge, pidgance, plance, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 09:44:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 47,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15704709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueolympus/pseuds/blueolympus
Summary: Lance has always been a playboy. Pidge went into the situation knowing that. She told herself she was over the little crush she'd had on him 5 years ago and their flirtation was harmless fun between friends. Until it wasn't. When things go too far and Pidge is harbouring too many secrets it puts the whole team in jeopardy.





	1. Late

PIDGE

Pidge’s body had always been like a clock. Practical and punctual and perceptive just like the woman who owned it. She’d began her period, rather conveniently, just a few months before she'd begun masquerading as Pidge Gunderson. That gave her time to stock up supplies and instead of scrounging desperately in the boy’s wing of the garrison dorm. She could usually pinpoint when it would arrive down to the hour. She felt she had always been in sync with her body and its processes.

So when, for the first time in the 5 years she’d been living on the Castle of Lions, her cycle did not come on the day she had expected it was pretty difficult not to panic. She managed it the first day. There are lots of reasons people can be irregular. She'd made an itemized list in her mind to recite when she started to be anxious about it. There was weight loss or gain, stress, diet, hormone imbalance, gluten intolerance -- who knows what's in that green goo, and maybe even some toxin she'd inhaled or ingested on any of the dozens of the planets she'd been in the past month.

By the third day on every recitation of the list, a little voice seemed to add an eighth reason. _Or, Katie_ , it would say, _you're missing your period because you had sex with your teammate_. Man, that voice was a bitch. By the fourth day, she had stopped with the list entirely. By the middle of the sixth day keeping herself busy and ignoring it wasn't working either. The seventh day, panic began to set in. In her mind, the phrase “late period” began to change to “missed period.”

 _I cannot be pregnant. I cannot be pregnant._ It had become her new mantra. Working on ship repairs; _I cannot be pregnant._ Avoiding her fellow paladins; _I cannot be pregnant._ Dodging questions about where she'd been; _I cannot be pregnant._  
_I cannot be pregnant._

_I cannot be pregnant._

_How would I even know if I were pregnant?_

Sure, there were a lot of reasons her cycle could be messed up but could she really wait a whole month without knowing? Of course, there had to also be an explanation for how tired and sore she'd been lately. She'd been working hard so it could be explained away. That didn't explain, however, how frequently she had to pee and constant nausea.

 _That's it_ , she decided, _I have to find out for sure._ There was just the matter of how to do it. It would've been so easy on Earth, but it wasn't like there was a space drugstore she could pop in to and discretely buy a space pregnancy test. If there had been she would have been there a month ago to pick up a space morning after pill to put an end to the issue before it started. And while she was at it maybe she could swing by the space Planned Parenthood and get a space birth control implant in case she decided to sleep with a teammate again. Not that that was a good idea in the first place. It had been a moment of emotional weakness in her usually airtight composure.

She'd been avoiding him as much as possible since the incident. More out of embarrassment than anything else. As you do when you go back to real life after one of your best friends has seen you in compromising positions. She knew he was a playboy when she walked into the situation. She’d told herself that sex was fun and they were friends and a little bit of fun couldn’t mess with that. Yet, she couldn't even look at him without thinking of his hot breath on her neck, his copper fingertips dragging across her skin and her fingers gripping at his hair. She could feel heat rush to her cheeks thinking about it even now.

“Everything ok, Number 5?” Coran asked making Pidge jump. She'd been so lost in thought she forgot she was supposed to be looking at the healing pod’s programming for him. Their last scuffle with the Galra had left the 10,000-year-old ship going a little haywire. “You’re looking a little red. Are you feverish?”

An idea struck her light lightning. “I'm not sure,” she said slowly, took a deep breath then: “Coran, what do you know about human biology?”

“I admit I'm no expert. Even after my years working with you Earthans I discover something new every time.”

“Well,” it was now or never, “I don't want to tell anyone else because they're not level headed like you.”

“I've always been told I'm a good man in a storm. You know my grandfather once--”

Pidge cut him off before he could start a lengthy anecdote “there's a human disease that only affects adults that are biologically female. It's probably nothing but I thought you could help me develop a test for it? Everyone on Earth takes the test when they’re around my age.”

She waited for him to say something or accuse her. “Of course! Anything to ease the mind of one of my young paladins. We want you in tip-top shape!”

Pidge felt a twinge of guilt for lying to the man she'd come to consider like a well-meaning space uncle, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She explained to him the workings of the test and the compound it searched for without mentioning its relation to pregnancy. He didn't bat an eye. He knew even less about the human female reproductive than most teenaged humans. Which is to say almost nothing. He assured her he'd have it for her the next day. One way or another she would know for sure.

***

For all the stress and the wanting to know over the past week, she did not feel relieved when Coran discreetly passed her the test before breakfast the next morning. The wink he gave her made her feel sick to her stomach. He wouldn't still look at her like that if he knew. God, the whole idea of it made her want to puke. She turned to leave the kitchen deciding there was no way she could keep any food down.

“Hey, Pidge,” came a voice from behind her; she froze. She had been managing to avoid him since a mission had taken them to secure a planet considering joining the coalition while the rest of the team was on offence with the Blades of Marmora. He seemed to have been respecting that too.

“Oh, Lance,” her hand slid into the pocket of her hoodie and rested on the test. The one that would soon determine whether she was carrying his child.

“Don't sound too excited.”

She scoffed. She could tell him right now. She could tell him what she suspected. They were best friends. She’d known him and Hunk longer than any of the rest of her team. He would be scared too but he’d hold her hand and say something calming and stroke her hair. He’d be there with her when she found out the outcome. She wouldn’t be alone. Did she want that? Did she want him to know? She’d gone into this telling herself that the crush she’d had on him at 15 and 16 didn’t matter now that she was 20. She didn’t need commitment when she had his friendship. And he had always made it clear he did not want to settle down.

He took a few steps into the kitchen and the door slid shut behind him with a woosh. They were alone. She remembered the last time they were alone together and a little chill ran up her spine. Not in a bad way either. Heat rose to her cheeks. Before she could shake those thoughts from her head he was right beside her. His body curved towards her with a level of ease a person could only have with someone they'd been naked with. Pidge kept her hands in her pockets. “So. . .” Lance drawled “we're pretending nothing happened?”

“I don't see why we have to let that incident change anything between us,” she replied as evenly as possible. _Unless of course, I'm carrying your child then everything will change._ He was far enough away they weren't touching but they weight of his blue-eyed gaze on her was heavy.

He quirked an eyebrow at her and leaned closer in a way that almost made her melt. Almost. “I seem to remember multiple incidences,” he grinned at her. “As a matter of fact, I recall you calling Allura with made up problems to give an excuse to extend the mission for even more incidences.”

Pidge didn't really have an answer for that so she made a noncommittal noise in her throat. With each passing second, the pregnancy test in her pocket seemed to grow heavier. She finally looked up into Lance’s deep, blue eyes. His hair was still a mess and his bathrobe hung loosely around his pyjamas. She tried to picture him as a father. He had a lot of siblings and an overprotective streak. He was also a 22-year-old party boy with a mile long reckless streak. He was her best friend. He was also a playboy. Pidge hated not knowing the answer. She only knew one thing,  _I cannot be pregnant._

His voice, surprisingly gentle, drew her out of her thoughts, “Look Pidge -- Katie, I just. . .” He looked pained. “I care about you a lot and I won't lie and say I haven't had these feelings for a while.”

Pidge gulped. In the next room, she could hear the clatter of cutlery on plates and the sound of chatter from her friends. How long would it be before one of them walked back in here?

Lance cleared his throat and continued, “and I don't know how you have been feeling about this or what you thought it meant to me. . .”

Anger flared in the pit of Pidge’s belly. She finally found her voice, “Look, you don't have to do this, okay?”

“Do what?” he took a step back and looked her up and down.

Lance’s many conquests weren't exactly a secret to the rest of the Paladins. 5 years ago when she'd first seen him at the garrison she had assumed he was gay. Then when she saw the way he reacted to Keith she had been sure of it. It wasn't until months later when he came out as pansexual to both her and Hunk that she'd let herself even entertain the thoughts she'd been having about him all along. There were men, women and all kinds of aliens throwing themselves at him on every planet. He rarely tried to hide it when he made the walk back to the castle after an evening god knows where. Pidge sighed, “We both know how you are. It was casual and we’re friends. We don't have to do this whole talk about our feelings thing.” In the next hour when she found out for sure she wasn't pregnant she was sure she really could go back to normal.

“Wait, what?” he looked taken aback. “How exactly am I?”

“Oh, as if you don’t know.”

“Enlighten me”

Pidge drew a measured breath. She wanted to scream but she knew better. “I know you feel like you have to coddle me because I’m less. . . experienced than you.”

“No such thing; you’re a quick study.” He joked.

Heat rose up in Pidge’s cheeks and she hoped he couldn’t see her blush. “Anyway,” she took her hands from her pockets and crossed them over her chest. “We’re best friends that happened to have sex. I’m okay with it being casual.”

“But I--”

“No, listen, I really do understand you don’t have to spare my feelings here.” She faked a grin feeling as though she’d expertly navigated that problem. She patted his shoulder, “you’re still my best friend this doesn’t have to be a thing.”

She walked past him and out into the hallway. Maybe she and Lance didn’t need to be a thing. As soon as the door slid shut behind her she broke into a run to her suite. As if the running could keep her away from the feelings welling up in her chest.

 


	2. Two Lines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith struggles with his role as a leader while Pidge waits for results.

KEITH

“But I don’t want to be friends.” Lance was standing with his back to the dining room door when Keith walked in.

“Well, that’s rude.” He replied as he moved to the sink.

Lance jumped and spun around. “Keith! What’re you doing here?”

Keith squinted at Lance. He looked shaken up. His blue eyes made brighter by being red-rimmed. “Like existentially? I wonder that every day. Literally, I’m just washing my plate.” He held up the sudsy plate to show Lance. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, fine. Why wouldn’t it be?” He laughed nervously and fiddled with the belt of his robe.

“Well, you just told the hallway you didn’t want to be friends with it so I wondered.”

“Ah yeah I was. . .  Practising pick up lines?”

Keith raised his eyebrows. Lance’s lying skills haven’t improved in the half a decade since they’d been friends but Keith still wasn’t sure what actually was up. Sure he’d been the team’s leader for over half that time with Lance as his second in command but his team building and communication skills didn’t come as naturally to him as they did to Shiro. “And how are those working out for you?”

“Bad,” Lance responded gruffly. Keith was taken aback by that. Sure Lance was cheesy but everyone knew that he had been with more people than any of the rest of the paladins combined. Before he could formulate a response Lance was speaking again. “Look, man, I have some stuff I need to work through. . . Can I take the day off?”

The Galra don’t take the day off. The words popped automatically to the front of his brain but he stopped himself from saying them. He looked at Lance’s forlorn expression. “Yeah, buddy, whatever you need.” But Lance was already out the door.

Keith shook his head. If Lance has the day off he had better let everyone off the hook. They were going to get so behind. Shiro came into the kitchen holding a pile of dirty dishes. He gave Keith a peck on the cheek. “We’re all taking the day off today,” Keith told him.

“Oh?” Shiro asked, dumping his load into the sink in front of Keith “Is it someone’s birthday?”

“No. . .” Keith turned to face his boyfriend and leaned his head on his shoulder. “It’s because I have no idea what's going on.”

Keith could feel the chuckle rumbling through Shiro’s chest before he heard it. “Oh, My Love,” He rested his metallic hand against the nape of Keith’s neck. “Do you ever know what’s going on?”

Keith laughed, letting his face nuzzle a little deeper in the taller man’s neck. “No,” he replied, “Almost never”

\---

Everyone knows that it's hard to be a leader because you need to mediate the team's problems. Not everyone knows how hard it is to figure out the problems in the first place. Keith took to wandering the ship hoping inspiration would suddenly strike him. It was his job to hold the team together. That was easy in combat but this? Not knowing what was causing his second in command to act so depressed and his engineer to shirk her responsibilities that brought her anywhere near the rest of the team. He wasn’t even sure she was eating he’d seen her so little the past several weeks. This he had no idea how to handle. Hunk was doing double time trying to step it up in areas Pidge was lacking and constantly worrying that he hoped she wasn’t sick. Allura was doing fine for now but with 3 out of 5 paladins out of whack  
, it was almost certain it wouldn’t stay that way for long.

Shiro had given him some wise advice that Keith was sure he had just memorized from a fortune cookie. “You can’t find answers without seeking them,” He’d said between kisses leaned up against the kitchen island.

You certainly can’t find answers while making out with your boyfriend either, Keith reasoned. So he’d left Shiro to his book and started his wandering. This was another thing he’d learned from his boyfriend. Nothing that he’d ever said or instructed but what Keith had observed. When Shiro had been the Black Paladin, and even for a time after, he was always wandering the ship. He had a knack for showing up exactly where the problems were. Someone would be sulking somewhere and suddenly Shiro was there wearing soft clothes and bringing you a drink and comforting words. Maybe Keith was a couple years older than the other paladins after an incident with time, but he didn’t have a dad sense like Shiro did.

So if he couldn’t make adorable team bonding moments happen organically he was going to have to force them. He headed towards Pidge’s room

\---

PIDGE

Lance was next door. He was probably lying in his bed listening to her headphones. She imagined going to him as she waited. Knocking on his door and him being happy to see her. Happy that she wasn’t letting the tiny matter of their sex lives affect their friendships. But then he would see her face. He would frown and asks what’s wrong. What could she even tell him? I might be pregnant. What could he even say to that? They were paladins of Voltron; defenders of the universe. They were in danger constantly and had to be ready to fight at a moments notice. Child rearing was just not in that agenda.

She paced her messy bedroom instead of going to him. Sure he may be supportive, but on the other hand what if he wasn’t. Lance was a party boy. He liked to go out and he did not like to be tied down. She’d told herself a million times before their last mission that was something she was okay with. She was over the crush she’d had on him and their simple flirtation was harmless fun. Harmless until they started to have too much fun.

She checked her watch. 2 more minutes for the test results. In any case, there was no reason to worry him when there was a chance nothing was going on. All she wanted was someone to be with her but she was strong. She didn't need Lance.

30 seconds left.

Coran had made the test so that it operated from blood on her pricked finger. She sucked at the wound while she stared at the test that lay face down on the floor. Two lines for pregnant. One line for not pregnant.

“Okay, Pidge, you can do this.” she told herself. She sat down cross legged in front of the little stick. She flipped it over before she could lose her courage. The room spun. Her first thought was that she was she had skipped breakfast that morning. The sight of the two very clear lines running across the display made her sick to her stomach.

Oh no.

The tears came but she didn't notice until they splashed against the test still in her hands. She wanted to scream but the thought of Lance being able to hear her in the next room made her think better of it. Oh god, Lance. The sobs racked silently over her body as a sudden anger overtook her.

It was so unfair. She was in outer space. She didn't exactly have access to the health care most women her age did. She was angry at the circumstances. The lack of preparedness. She was angry at Lance for making her lose her sense of reasoning. She was angry at the clump of cells nestled somewhere in her abdomen that hadn't asked to be put there but still managed to be ruining her life. Most of all she was angry at herself for being stupid. Stupid was not a feeling Pidge had ever been familiar with.

She remembered being a junior high schooler. Wondering how stupid someone had to be to mess up their life with an accidental pregnancy. Now here she was -- knocked up.

She threw the test against the wall with as much strength as she could muster. It wasn't enough. She grabbed anything she could get her hands on and threw it. Anything to make her feel even slightly better. She had just dashed a spare computer part against the bedroom door when it slid open.

Shock quieted her sobs but her eyes were still wet with tears. Keith stood in her doorway with two cups in his hands. His expression stayed neutral as he surveyed the state of Pidge and her bedroom.

“G-Go away,” she muttered averting her gaze.

“I'm not going to,” he said as he set the cups down on the desk. He crossed the room wrapped her in a hug. “Tell me what's wrong.”

Pidge wanted to laugh. Some part of her brain figured out and thought it was funny that bad-boy, emo Keith was trying to employ Shiro’s fatherly leadership approach. She melted at his touch and all of the secrets she'd been keeping in and stress she'd been bearing alone came out of her in a giant sob.

Keith didn't seem to know exactly where to put his hands. He kept moving from awkwardly patting her hair or rubbing a circular motion on her shoulder. “Hey, hey, hey. It's okay. You can tell me.”

She wanted to tell him. She didn't want to tell him. She was ashamed of herself and wanted to hide it. She didn't want to be alone. The words seemed to force themselves out of her of their own accord.

“I'm pregnant,” she sobbed. Somehow speaking the words out loud made everything seem that much more real.

Keith froze then stiffened. Here it comes. The part where he scolds me. Only it didn't come. He held her out at arm's length and studied her face as if for wounds. His grip on her shoulders was just a little too tight. “Did someone. . .”

“No! God, no,” She exclaimed before he could even finish the question.

“Then who?” Short phrases seemed all he was capable of.

“Uh, well. . .” How could she even tell him this? Why was she telling him this? “I. . . Um, Lance and I--”

“Lance!?” He shouted dropping his hands from her shoulders. He spun and almost looked as if he would head for the door but he paused. He took several deep breaths and grabbed the two cups from the desk. He sat down on the edge of her bed and offered her one of them. She accepted it hesitantly. Hot chocolate. “I'm sorry,” Keith said. “You're like my little sister and it's hard for me to realize you're an adult.”

“You can't tell him.”

“I-- what?”

“Lance. We're not together. It was a one time thing. Please, I don't want him to know. I can figure it out myself.”

Keith's ears were tinged red. “I don't know, Pidge. This is huge.”

Pidge sipped her hot chocolate. “I'm going to figure it out. . . Somehow.”

Keith put his free arm around her. “We can figure it out together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure that I'm feeling this chapter as much as the last one but all of this had to go down to progress. Let me know what you think! I appreciate your support!


	3. On the Bench

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Keith is very protective of Pidge and she starts to act out.

PIDGE

“Hunk flank left, Lance take right, Allura with me.” Keith's voice came through the intercom of her helmet.

Pidge rolled her eyes. She was pregnant, not incompetent and the past two weeks Keith had been treating her like her mom treated Great-Grandma’s fine china. “And me?” she asked without trying to hide the contempt in her voice.

Keith glanced back with a flicker of annoyance. “Hang back, watch the entrance stay with Cosmo.”

Perfect. She plopped herself down on a large rock at the opening of the cave. She let her bayard hand fall idly to her side and Cosmo nudged his head under it.

She didn't want to be mad with Keith. He’d been supportive and kept her secret even though she knew he thought she should tell. Though for all their brainstorming they still couldn't come up with a solution to the problem. And Keith had become even more weirdly protective than usual.

“You’re the boss,” she snapped as the rest of the team ventured through the tunnel. A coalition base had been driven underground by Galra and needed help from Voltron. Well, 4/5ths of Voltron if Keith had anything to say about it. She was going to need to talk to him about still treating her like a normal part of the team. If he wasn’t careful the whole team would find out she was pregnant just from the way Keith was acting.

That would cause a whole other can of worms to be opened. If they found out she was pregnant they would want to know who the father was. Lance would know it was him. She would have to face him and she couldn’t even think of doing that right now. Then once her other teammates found out she had been with Lance they would start asking questions.

Why had she had sex with him if they weren’t in a relationship? Well, because sex is fun and they were friends and she thought it would be fine. Why Lance? He was there, he was cute, and it had absolutely nothing to do with her loving him. Nothing. Was she just another of his conquests? She hated that question the most when the scenario ran through her mind. She knew the answer was no. If anything she had come on to him the strongest during that blissful, long weekend in Bulonak. He had been incredibly receptive to it, of course, but she knew she meant more to him than a conquest. As a friend anyway. And finally the big question; what would she do about the pregnancy?

She wished she could solve that problem as easy as she could solve engineering calculations. If someone had asked her two months ago what she would do if she were pregnant the answer would have been easy. She was a Paladin of Voltron. She wasn’t easily replaced. It was a very dangerous line of work. She could not be a mother. Now, and she blamed it on the pregnancy brain, she could almost see herself and Lance settled down back on earth with their family. The problem was in that vision they were both older, wiser, ready to give up the lifestyles they were accustomed to in outer space. They were none of those things right now. Besides, Lance didn’t feel that way about her. He would probably never settle down.

“You wouldn’t judge me, right boy?” She asked the wolf as she scratched under his chin. His eyes bored into her but he didn’t answer.

  
She could hear the team chattering about the mission through her helmet. The pang she felt in her chest confirmed more than anything that she wasn’t ready for motherhood. She wanted more than anything to be in the thick of things and help her team. She knew what she had to do, but how? In the middle of the war, how could she and a team of, arguably, the most important people in the galaxy make a side trip to Earth for a doctor’s appointment? Especially without five of those seven people knowing what was going to happen. For the first time since her first month in space, she considered running away. She couldn’t do that, she knew, the team couldn’t form Voltron without her. Everyone would be put in danger.

God, if only she was a regular college student. Then this mess would be entirely solved by now. But that was wishful thinking.

Lance’s voice cut over the general chatter on the intercom. “Pidge, we need back up.”

“Got it” She responded trying to ignore the lunge her heart did when he said her name.   
  
Her friends seemed to have been ambushed in the attack. “Princess, behind you!” Hunk called.

A crash. “Princess sound off” Keith called.

“I’m alright,” Allura said heavily.

“Fill me in, guys,” Pidge asked as she sneaked down the tunnel system.

“They knew we were coming,” Lance growled.

“Yes, but how?” Allura asked. Several more bangs and crashes sounded.

“Doesn’t matter,” Keith answered, “Pidge you and Kosmo will have the element of surprise. There’s about 2 dozen here. We should be able to overtake them.”

Oh, so now Keith thought she could do battle. Maybe if he hadn't been so intent on keeping her safe they would have been fine. Right now her fellow paladins were probably facing worse than 6 to 1 odds. With her and Cosmo in the mix, things were a lot easier to bear. She was starting to be able to hear the commotion of the battle ahead.”Ready, boy?” She asked the wolf at her side as she charged her bayard. She placed her free hand on the nape of the wolf’s neck and felt herself disappear. Teleporting was the strangest, most weightless feeling in the world. In the in-between Pidge spared a moment to wonder if teleporting would harm her baby before she had to push it out of her mind.

She landed back to back with Keith with several Galra surrounding them. “Careful, Pidge,” He warned as she lashed out with her bayard. She shocked one should straight in the chest and used the force to knock him into another. She lassoed the remaining two together and left them unconscious on the ground. “Pidge,” Keith started to say but her hand was on Cosmo’s fur and she was teleporting away.

She and Cosmo appeared Lance’s head. She landed on the shoulders of a Galra droid and twisted his head off with her bare hands. “Someone finally showed up to the party” Lance joked as he shot down an enemy.

“Save a dance for me,” Pidge replied dodging enemy fire as Cosmo leaped over her head and tore the soldier’s throat out.

He pulled her to her feet with one hand and swung her so she could zap the remaining Galra surrounding them. She landed, feeling rather flushed, with her helmet touching Lance’s. Heat rose to her face. He leaned as though he would embrace her when she saw it. A huge Galra soldier barreling straight towards Lance’s back.

“Down!” she shouted and he complied instantly dropping to a crouch in front of her. She vaulted over him using his lowered shoulder as a boost. Her bayard wrapped around the tall soldier and she swung around him twice before landing in a somersault pulling him down with her.

“God, what a woman,” she could only just make out Lance’s voice before she latched on to Cosmo and disappeared again. Her face burned with heat as she popped from nothingness between Hunk and Allura.

Hunk moved to cover their backs as she and Allura charged forward against the last three soldiers in the cavern. Three flashes of light and they were down. Pidge spun around to see lance twirling his rifle like the star of an old-timey Western movie. He blew on the tip, “Sharpshooter.”

“Good one, Lance,” Said Hunk, high fiving his fellow Paladin as he approached.

Pidge knew she shouldn’t but couldn’t help but stare. It almost seemed like a scene in a movie. He pulled off his helmet exposing his flawless golden skin. She’d always been a little obsessed with his skin. She’d never seen so much as a blemish on his face and his skin always seemed to glow with health. On places other than his face. . . well, that was pretty great too. His back, arms, and legs were all webbed with scars too pink against his warm skin tone. Pidge had run her fingertips across many of them remembering how they came about. She hadn’t seen them as flaws. She’d thought of the scars she’d also earned as a Paladin and thought of them as an unbreakable connection between the two of them. That wasn’t the only unbreakable connection between the two of them.

Lance met her eyes and she felt that the secret of their tryst burned the whole distance between them. She looked away, hoping her blush wouldn’t be visible under her helmet. Lance clapped her hard on the shoulder. “Wow, you were on fire, Katie!”

His use of her real name sent a little thrill through her body. Hunk raised his eyebrows, “Since when do you call her Katie?”

Pidge snuck a look at Lance out of the corner of her eyes and he smirked. “Oh you know, teasing her?” He certainly knew how to do that. “But seriously did you see her and Cosmo zipping around a taking out bad guys? It was sick!”

“Yeah, but Katie needs to be more careful, don’t you think?” Keith asked pointedly.

“We’re all as careful as we can be, Keith,” Allura pointed out. That sentiment actually caused Keith to snort. “Pidge really did an excellent job.”

“Yeah, Keith,” Lance agreed, “why do you keep benching her anyway? She saved our asses today.”

“I for one love having my ass saved,” Hunk put in.

“Yeah, Keith,” Pidge said eagerly, “I saved your asses today.”

“Well, today isn’t over.” He replied, “and someone has ratted us out. We need to save the prisoners and get out of here as soon as possible.”

Pidge felt her adrenaline from the fight slowly start to seep out of her. A mole inside the Voltron Coalition could mean disaster for the war effort. She looked around and saw her teammates also staring around glumly. Keith really could kill a victorious mood.   
  
“Let’s move out.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to make this longer but if I got all the way to the next stopping point it'd probably be like 6000 words and I really wanted to get an update out. I'm gonna try to be updating once a week from now on! Let me know what you think in the comments I love your guys' feedback!


	4. Quiznak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of events leave our paladins with nothing to say but "Quiznak"

LANCE

  


They found the captive coalition members all crowded into the tiniest cell on the lowest floor of the tunnel system. The ceilings were so low Pidge was the only one who could stand up straight. Lance felt anger bubbling in the pit of his stomach. At least 2 dozen people were crammed, crouching into the cell. 

  


Allura moved to the slat on the door. “We’re going to get you out of there; just hold on,” She told them.

  


Lance remembered a time when her words would have sent his heart fluttering. The princess was the epitome of beauty and grace. When he had first seen her he’d thought it was love at first sight and that there would never be anyone else for him. Now, he felt a surge of fondness no different than he’d feel for Veronica or any other member of his family. 

  


Pidge was standing in front of the computer embedded in the wall. For several seconds only the sound of her gloved fingers against the screen ran out in the darkness. Everyone else crouched tensely with their hands on their weapons. They automatically fanned out in formation protecting Pidge’s back as she worked. Lance took the position directly at Pidge’s back. He watched her over his shoulder as she pulled her helmet off in frustration and blinked heavily. She swiped at her eyes with the back of her hands. “It’s weird” she mumbled going back to staring at the screen. 

  


“Everything alright?” Hunk asked worriedly. He glanced back at Pidge from his position on her far left. 

  


“I just can’t see” She mumbled without looking up. 

  


“Oh, do you need your glasses?” 

  


Pidge stopped typing and looked up at him. “Hunk, my glasses are fake.” 

  


He lowered his gun and turned his head, “Wait,  _ what _ ?” 

  


Lance held back a snicker remembering the first time he’d learned that little fact. At the time she’d been wearing nothing but the glasses which were steamed up with the combination of their hot breath as they exchanged heady whispers. Shortly after they had been discarded as well, strewn across furniture with the rest of her close as he pressed her against the wall. 

  


“Can we focus?” Snapped Keith. Lance jumped. He knew he was talking about Hunk grilling Pidge about her glasses but he couldn’t help feeling a little guilty about zoning out in his memories. 

  


In any case, Pidge’s eyes were perfect.  _ Like the rest of her _ , some other part of his brain added for him.  _ They’re the color of iced sweet tea on a hot Summer day and they are attached to the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.  _ And they see perfectly. And if they see perfectly why was the screen blurry? He’d never noticed her having a problem reading off Galra tech before and he had certainly been paying attention. 

  


He broke formation and leaned over Pidge’s shoulder to glance at the screen. He saw Keith glance behind him with a flicker of concern, but the black paladin moved to cover his position without a word. The prospect of a spy had their leader incredibly tense.  Even with years of experience and some personal tutoring from Pidge herself, he could still only half understand the written Galra language. Even still the words on the screen were entirely illegible to him. He removed his helmet and squinted. “Wait, this really is blurry.” 

  


Pidge looked up long enough to shoot him a withering look, “didn’t I just say that?” She asked.

  


He barely heard her. The wheels of his mind were spinning too quickly. His mind was darting in and out of the possibilities so quickly he thought he might be crazy. His eyes darted from the prisoners packed in so tightly they couldn’t even move to the dozens of other, empty cells on the floor. There were easily enough to keep each prisoner alone or at least in pairs. Maybe the Galra were inhumane but he’d never seen this treatment before. 

  


“They knew we were coming,” Lance said softly. No one answered.

  


His gaze moved to Pidge still typing at the keypad to the several vents he now noticed across the ceiling above this door. “They knew we were coming,” He said, louder this time, just as Pidge hit a final key. “Get down, now!” 

  


He grabbed Pidge by the shoulder and yanked her down just as a light purple gas began to seep from the ceiling. “Helmets on!” shouted someone, probably Keith. Lance couldn’t tell. 

A loud siren began ringing and the whole world was tinged purple. Above them, he could hear his fellow paladins helping the panicking captives down the low tunnel. The purple haze was less thick close to the floor than it was up there but only slightly. His 3 teammates were having trouble corralling the dozens of panicked refugees who were stumbling around, some collapsing, running from the gas. 

  


_ Helmets _ , he thought clumsily. He looked for Pidge’s but it must have rolled somewhere when she had set it down or in the chaos of the stampede. He could just barely see her with a hand covering her nose and mouth as she scoured the floor for her missing helmet. They had never encountered poison like this before. He had no idea what it could do but the couple collapsed coalition members did not give him high hopes for healing capabilities. Pidge was so small. How much could she take before she collapsed too? Being low to the ground couldn’t help the two of them forever. Her movements in her search for her helmet were already becoming sluggish though it had only been seconds. 

  


He felt around for her free hand on the ground and tugged it hard. It sent her sprawling, her face landed centimeters from his own. He thought he saw her mouth form his name but no sound came out but a hoarse wheeze. He grabbed her face and pulled her to him for a kiss. He felt a warm sense of euphoria shoot from his face to his toes but he couldn’t place whether it was her mouth moving against his or the poison slowly killing him that was causing it. Just as her body started to melt against his he pulled away from her and jammed the blue helmet over her head. “Blue’s a good color on you, babe” He slurred as he shoved her to her feet. 

  


A look of simultaneous rage and comprehension dawned over her face at once. For a split second, she looked as though she might rip the helmet off and force it back on him, but she was too smart for that. They couldn’t both end here. Suddenly, she was no longer in his line of sight, the world seemed to slow down. He could still feel her body pressed to his and her lips soft on his face but all he could see was purple haze and the ceiling. Slowly, slowly that went away too and everything was black. 

  


\---

  


PIDGE

  


She felt lightheaded and she couldn’t quite place if it was the gas or something else. The only things she was sure of feeling was the tingling of her lips from Lance’s kiss and the burning of her ears from his jamming his helmet over her ears. She felt those things and she felt stupid. She should have known it was a trap. It was oh so obviously a trap. Lance had noticed and she hadn’t listened and now he’d given her his only source of clean air. All of these people were in danger because of her. Especially Lance. For a split second, she considered ripping the helmet off and forcing it back on to him. She knew she couldn’t. Someone had to shut off the gas. 

  


Hunk could have done it but he was hauling unconscious coalition members out two and three at a time -- something neither she or Lance could do. Lance was already unconscious --  _ just unconscious; not dead  _ \-- and she had no way of knowing if having clean air again would wake him up. Then both of them would be out of the game. Game over, Paladins of Voltron. Even still she couldn’t leave Lance,  _ the father of her unborn child _ , to be trampled or die after he had saved her. Who did that anyway? Impregnated someone (however unwittingly,) kissed them, and then tried to die for someone? If they survived this she was going to kill him for that. 

  


She scanned the floor and spotted her helmet. She saw flashes of its green details being kicked around in the chaos of the fleeing captives. She dove for it, getting herself stomped on in the process, and rolled back to Lance’s side. “Hunk!” She shouted. He looked up from the captive he was helping to their feet. Comprehension dawned on his face as his eyes settled on the blue helmet on Pidge’s head and then on Lance’s unconscious form. 

  


Pidge dropped to her knees and struggled to put the helmet on the limp boy. She heard, through the chaos, the click of the helmet and the whoosh of oxygen filling it. Lance’s eyes fluttered but didn’t open. Hunk appeared at her side with a young girl slung over one shoulder. He hefted Lance over the other shoulder like he weighed nothing and took off down the tunnel. 

  


She allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief before she turned back to the computer. The blurry screen had cleared. It had evidently been a ploy to get their techie -- her -- to take off her helmet and fall prey to the gas. It would have worked too. . . If it wasn’t for Lance. She focused on scanning the code for the gas’s command prompt but it was buried deep. Every few seconds she’d glance up. Pages of code would scroll past her eyes. Hunk had turned back up and was carrying even more people from the tunnel. More pages of code. Cosmo was zapping people away left and right. Her eyes lit across the prompt she needed and she began to rework it. 

  


A sudden rumbling across the floor almost caused her to lose focus but she didn’t dare look up this time. Almost all of the captives had escaped except for three that appeared to be a mother with two children. A flash of light came and went in the corner of Pidge’s perception and she assumed Cosmo had whisked the family away. Pidge typed faster. Their helmets could only process so much of this poison out and she wasn’t sure how long they could hold. Her fellow paladins were already sluggish and hopelessly outnumbered. They needed every advantage they could get if they were going to survive another ambush today.

  


She heard the crashes and gunfire of the battle beginning but she stayed zoned in on the project at hand. Her fingers flew faster than she’d ever known them to. So close, so close, time seemed to slow around her and she no longer heard the fight. Only the padding of her fingers on keys. Yes! One finally keystroke and the job was done. Immediately the gas seemed to dissipate and Pidge felt as though she was slammed back into real time. 

  


Pidge spun around ready to join the fight. Her fellow Paladins were nearly overwhelmed. Each one was locked in battle with at least four androids and were slowly being backed against the walls. She clutched her bayard trying to decide who needed her first. She turned towards Allura and charged her weapon when another flash of light caught her off guard. Right in her line of fire Lance and Cosmo appeared. She turned quickly so as not to hit one of them and sent one of Keith’s androids sprawling. Lance couldn’t stand up straight because of the height of the ceiling but he seemed even more hunched than before. Maybe it was the green helmet but his usually flawless skin seemed blotchy and sickly in pallor. 

  


He started firing at the androids, taking them out one by one with expert marksmanship. The androids began to turn their attention to him giving the other Paladins time to regroup. Hunk positioned himself back to back with Lance with Pidge between them and started to fire on the androids from a distance as well. The three of them had taken this formation many times. The Garrison Trio they liked to jokingly call themselves. Fighting like this should have been second nature after this many years but Pidge couldn’t stop her concern over Lance. 

  


Cosmo moved to Allura and Keith first; teleporting them away from danger. The androids that had been moving toward them collided and fell to the floor. Pidge took a third out with a whip of her bayard looking between North and South while the two boys managed East and West. Cosmo appeared behind her and she felt him press against her back. “Wait no, not me!” She started to say but she was already landing on the ground in the open area from the last battle. “But Lance and Hunk!” She protested even though Cosmo was already gone. 

  


Keith extended a hand to help her up but she ignored it. “I can get up myself,” she spat. 

  


She couldn’t quite read Keith’s expression. He raised his eyebrows and held both hands up in a sign of mock surrender. “Fine,” his tone was a little too even. “Help get passengers onto the ship so we can return them to the base on Olkarion. Cosmo went back for the other two.” 

  


Pidge leveled her gaze at the Black Paladin. He was the shortest next to her but still towered over her by several inches. She didn’t care. She had years of experience making her short stature seem like nothing. “Yes, Sir.” She said tersely. Keith looked away first which Pidge counted as a win. Still, she felt a twinge of guilt in her gut as he started to walk away. 

  


“Just do it.” He ordered, “We’ll talk about this later.” 

  


What was he? Her dad? Oh wait, her dad never talked to her like a child or treated her like she didn’t know what she was doing. She felt anger seething in her as she started helping move the rebels on board. The day had been a total mess from start to finish. She didn’t think things could go much worse. She had just overseen the last group and was heading back to do another check when Hunk and Cosmo appeared in front of her. She didn’t see Lance at first until Hunk turned around. The red paladin was hanging limply in his harms. Her helmet was still on his head. 

  


“Lance! What happened?” She rushed to Hunk’s side not knowing what to do with her hands. It wasn’t as if she could help him carry the other paladin. 

  


“He took a shot to the back,” carry Lance. 

  


“I don't know. He fainted and took a shot as he went down,” Hunk told her as they rushed back to the ship. 

  


Coran was waiting for them at the loading bay. “Have Allura set course for Olkarion and meet us in the med bay ASAP,” Pidge told him as they passed. He immediately began running towards the bridge. 

  


As soon as they reached the med bay Pidge ripped both their helmets off and began feeling around Lance’s neck for a pulse. His skin was sallow and damp. Little purple blotches covered his skin that looked almost like burns. She pulled off her glove and felt his forehead. He was cold as ice. “And you said he was shot?” She asked examining Lance’s armor. 

  


“In the back,” Hunk provided. He helped her turn the other paladin over to his stomach revealing a huge scorch mark in the back of his armor. She got to work unfastening his chest piece and jetpack. Hunk lifted him so she could slide it over his head and unzip his skinsuit. Though the armor had absorbed most of the damage it must have superheated. Lance’s flesh was scorched from shoulder to mid back. His usually golden brown skin was an ugly, charred red and gave off a terrible smell. 

  


“Oh, quiznak,” Hunk muttered shifting his hold on Lance for a better look. 

  


“Oh, quiznak is right” Coran agreed as he rushed in the room. We have 11 refugees in need of emergency medical care and Lance--” He paused taking in the sight of the burn, “Oh, quiznak.”

  


“What?” demanded Pidge. “We can put him in the pod! We can heal him, right?” 

  


Coran put his hand to Lance’s forehead and made a face. “It looks like he got even more of the gas than the others.” He indicated the faintly purple blotches all over Lance’s face and arms. 

  


“God, this is all my fault,” Pidge muttered. “He saved me from the gas and I didn’t get to him in time.”

  


Hunk looked at her sympathetically, “Lance knew you were the one that could save everyone else and you did. It was the right thing.”

  


It being the right thing didn’t make seeing the stupid father of her stupid unborn child half dead on a table in front of her any easier, but okay. 

  


Coran continued, “These are acid burns that come from the inside out when Narlexium is inhaled.” Pidge made a mental note to research this narlexium later and find out when and how the Galra started implementing it. “It can be treated very quickly in the pods but once the disease sets in can be very contagious. I have all the infected refugees under quarantine right now.” 

  


“Ah, speaking of which. . .” Said Hunk nodding his head in Pidge’s direction. Coran followed Hunk’s gaze and raised his eyebrows slightly. His mustache wiggled in thought. 

  


She stepped back. Had Hunk seen the kiss and accusing her of being infected? “Well, number 5, don’t panic,” Said Coran. 

  


“Telling someone not to panic is a great way to induce panic,” Pidge told him taking yet another step back.  She held out her hands and saw the spots covering them. “Oh, quiznak.”    
  


“Well now, it looks like a very mild case!” Said Coran encouragingly. 

  


“Yeah, it’s barely on your face at all!” Hunk added. 

  


Now that she thought about it her skin did feel rather dry. “My face?” She groaned as she snatched up a nearby glass jar filled with cotton balls to see her reflection. Sure enough, purple blotches were winding their way up her neck. “Perfect.” 

  


“Lance gets first priority for a healing pod so why don’t we put him in the one in the private infirmary and keep you quarantined in there with him!” Coran suggested happily. 

  


_ Oh no.  _ She couldn’t protest. They’d wonder what was wrong. “Perfect,” she said again glumly. She was lucky she supposed. At this point, she was at least 6 to 8 weeks along. If there had been a free healing pod for her and they’d insisted on it they would have almost definitely found out her secret from the scans. Now she just had to suffer her rash in quarantine. With Lance. 

  


_ Oh, Quiznak. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to include what was going to be the next chapter in here but it just kind of ended organically there and I didn't want to include another POV switch. Let me know what you think! School is getting up in full swing so I may update less often but I'm still going to try doing it weekly. 
> 
> Question: Who is your favorite POV so far and what is your favorite quote from the chapter? 
> 
> My Answer: I loved writing Lance cause he's bae. This chapter's best quote for me is "telling someone not to panic is a great way to induce panic." Let me know your answer in the comments below. 
> 
> Shout out to Hailqiqi for always being the first comment on every chapter and honestly being an all-around sweet bean! Love you all!
> 
> -Blue :)


	5. Snow White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge has to deal with the consequences of her decisions.

PIDGE

Snow White Lance was not. Hunk and Coran, with very little grace, had deposited him in the single healing pod in the private infirmary nestled in the back of the ship. Maybe if he had been Snow White she could open the pod and kiss him and he would wake up. Even if the fairy tale were real it wouldn't have worked. She wasn’t his true love. She was just a girl he liked to kiss. She would have to work out the other details later.

She paced the room, the three beds against the far wall were all untouched. According to Coran, this space had initially been used as a private medical quarters for the royal family. Pidge could tell in the architecture she supposed. Everything was just a touch different from the main medical bay near the bridge. Little filigrees and details were carved were carved into the wall paneling and the base of all the fixtures. She also supposed to should be thankful to be put here with Lance’s unconscious form rather than in the bay with the others that were in quarantine. The last thing she needed was a medical scan in front of all three of the other paladins, Shiro, Coran, and several random refugees to reveal the contents of her uterus.

It didn’t stop her feeling lonely though. According to the clocks on some of the equipment, she’d been in there at least four vargas. That was something like six hours. There was nothing to do. Lance did not stir in the confines of his healing pod. She sat for a long time and watched his vital signs slowly rise. According to Coran, it would take at least nine vargas to heal his burns and they would have to see about the narlexium poisoning later. The other 6 pods in the main bay were being used on the refugees who had the worst poisoning. Everyone else was stuck in quarantine.

  
It wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t for the mittens. Narlexium poisoning presented a lot like chicken pox. The large purple spots itched like crazy and, apparently, scratching made them even worse. Coran had wrapped her hands tightly in cloth so that she could do literally nothing but stand around the room and worry. Worry whether anyone had seen that kiss. Worry whether Lance would be alright. Worry about her pregnancy. Worry about the spy that had caused them all that trouble. Worry how she would tell Lance about the baby. Worry what she would do about the baby.

Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She knew what she needed to do. She knew she couldn’t be a Paladin of Voltron and a good mother. She also knew she couldn’t not be a Paladin of Voltron. So that left -- what? Her options were limited anyway. Even more limited because she was in space. What could she do? Adopt her and Lance’s baby to an alien couple that knew nothing about human needs? Go all the way back to Earth and leave it there? All she knew was this was not the universe she -- or anyone really -- wanted to bring a baby into. She didn’t even know if the baby was alright after everything that had happened that day. It was too much to think about, sitting alone in a room with nothing to do.

She was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the healing pod when she heard the door click. Keith walked in, his hair tied back in a low bun, a blue surgical mask covered his face. The scar on his cheek peeked barely over the mask and was similar in color to the bags under his dark eyes. “Get up on the bed,” he said by way of greeting.

“Hello to you too,” Pidge grumbled, but she did as he said. She may have been annoyed at Keith but she was happy to have at least someone to talk to after hours of mind-numbing solitude. He started to wheel a scanner to her bedside keeping very focused on the piece of equipment. “You’re mad at me,” Pidge observed as she positioned herself flat on top of the covers.

“Uh, yeah.”

“And what, pray tell, did I do?”

Keith stopped setting up the machine and stared at her deadpan. “You actually have to ask me that?”

Pidge sat up, narrowly avoiding bonking her head on the scanner. She gawked at him, “I did everything I needed to.”

“A dozen people were hurt today. Including you.”

“Yes, and it would have been a lot worse if it hadn't been for me!” Pidge protested. She gestured wildly with bandaged hands. She was Italian; she talked with her hands. The bandages were taking away half her vocabulary. It was hard to emphasize a point by shaking two misshapen lumps of gauze in someone’s face.

“It also could have been avoided if it wasn’t for you.” Keith turned back to fiddling with the scanner. Pidge was beginning to think he had no idea what he was doing. Obviously, he had narlexium poisoning too if he thought everything was her fault. “ Whatever, just lie back down.”

“No! You think it's my fault.”

Keith rolled his eyes and slapped the back of the machine. “God damn it, Pidge,” He shouted. “You put the whole team and dozens of coalition members at risk so you could save Lance. Do you not see that?”

“He gave me his helmet, he saved me, I didn’t ask him to do that! You’re saying I shouldn’t have helped him?” She didn’t think she’d ever been this angry at another Paladin before. She understood he was the leader. Hell, she’d seen him scold almost every other member of the team before and agreed with him, but her? She was the smart one. She managed to save everyone. Didn’t that count for anything?  
“Lance knew what he was doing when he gave you that. We all knew you were the only one that could shut off that gas. He was counting on you to save everyone -- not just him.” Keith had moved beyond the scary quiet voice he usually used on the others when he was angry. He was shouting at her like she was a child.

“I did save everyone,” Pidge threw back, “including Lance.”

“I didn’t say you didn’t. I’m saying there’s a lot of people suffering that wouldn’t be right now if only the gas had been shut off minutes earlier.”

“But Lance--”

“Are you kidding me right now, Pidge? Lance wouldn’t have been shot if he didn’t have to come back for us. He’d be lying here with nothing more than a rash, but he did because you dicked around and got us cornered.” Keith sighed and pushed his bangs back from his face. His voice was softer when he spoke again. “Look, I know the situation is complicated but would you have made the same decision if it wasn’t for. . .” His voice trailed off but his eyes moved to her stomach completing his sentence for him.

“I’m pregnant, not stupid!” She told him although a little voice in her head reminded her that she might be both. Keith might be right.

“I know that,” He flipped a few switches on the machine. “Just lie back down, Pidge.”

“I’m sorry,” She mumbled as she stretched herself flat again.

“If you talk you’ll mess up the scan,” Keith said flatly, though she thought she saw the ghost of a smile from behind the mask.

She held her breath. The scanner took less than three seconds. Keith was looking at the scan in the tablet in his hand with an unreadable expression. Then he really did smile. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a 3D hologram of her scan into the air. He zoomed in on her abdomen. It was no bigger than a pea. Just a lump really.

Somehow the sight of the tiny bundle of cells made her heart expand. “Look at that,” Keith gestured to her vitals at the bottom of the hologram. “She’s got a heartbeat.”

Pidge choked, “she!?”

Keith looked startled then embarrassed, “No, I can't tell. Just guessing.” He waved the hologram away and sat on the edge of the bed.  
Pidge was feeling conflicted. Seeing it with her own eyes. Seeing its heartbeat. It had all made it so much more real to her. She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest, "Keith, I don't know if I can do this.”

“You can. We'll all support you no matter what you decide,” he told her reassuringly.

“Even Lance?” she asked glumly.

“Look,” He patted her leg. The human contact felt nice. “I can’t predict what he’ll say or think but I can tell you that you guys were best friends before this and I think you’ll get through it.”

That was some Shiro-level sage advice. Keith’s boyfriend must have rubbed off on him over the years. She gazed down at her wrapped hands mournfully. “Keith?”

“Yeah, Pidge?”

She met his eyes, “Will you please, please scratch my back.”

\---

LANCE

Lance felt like Snow White. His consciousness slowly returned as the liquid rushed out of the healing pod. The door slid open and he fell forward not quite able to support his own weight. Two large, soft lumps caught him by the shoulders. He groggily opened his eyes to see his very own dwarf, Pidge. He blinked twice to clear the healing pod gunk from his eyes. He didn’t remember any part of Pidge having been that large or lumpy.

“Come on, Lance, let’s get you to bed,” She said as she half-dragged him across the room.

“Only if you’re coming too, babe,” He slurred dreamily. Pidge whacked him across the head with the soft lumpy thing. Upon further inspection, it was her hand wrapped in gauze like Gran had done to Veronica’s when she’d gotten chicken pox.

“You gotta stop that, the others will be by any minute to see you.” She scolded though her voice didn’t sound harsh.

“Why did they leave us in here all alone?” Lance asked as he sat up on the edge of one of the unmade beds. He caught Pidge between his knees so she couldn’t back away but she didn’t try. This was his first good look at her and he noticed the purple marks covering her face and legs; he was sure that her long sleeves and mitts of gauze covering even more.  
“We’re contagious,” she said gesturing to the matching purple splotches on his own skin. His were far lighter than hers, probably because of his stint in the healing pod, but his sudden awareness of them made him want to itch.

“But we both have it?” He asked rather suavely if he had to say so himself.

She nodded and opened her mouth to speak but the small affirmation was all he needed. Before she could get the words out he had grabbed her by both cheeks and was kissing her. Lance loved kissing her when she didn’t expect him to. There was always a little, surprised intake of breath and a tiny jump before she leaned into him. He had never kissed anyone that kissed like Katie Holt did. She was dangerous, intoxicating. The way she moved against him reminded him of how she moved in battle. She was athletic and graceful and absolutely badass and God was he in love with her.

“I thought I was going to lose you,” He whispered as he nuzzled into her neck between kisses.

“Lance,” she murmured against his lips.

“Mm, Katie,” He answered planting a series of soft kisses on her lips.

“Lance, I have no hands,” She said, pulling back this time. She wiggled around the giant wads of gauze. That was something different, sure. Typically, she couldn’t keep her hands off him in these situations. They’d move from his hair to his back to his shoulders to his chest. Her short fingernails would find holds in his skin and drive him wild. Now her arms hung uselessly by her sides as he drew her close.

“So?” He asked with another peck on the lips. He moved his hands behind his back and tightened his grip on her with his knees. “I can kiss you hands-free.”

This time she leaned forward and kissed him. It was meant, he thought, to be a short, playful kiss but he used the leverage from his legs to draw her forward and deepen it. “See?” he teased.

“Lance,” she groaned again. She feigned frustration but he’d kissed her enough before to know how to tell when she was enjoying it.

“You know,” he planted a kiss on her neck, “you’re protesting a lot,” another kiss on her jaw, “for someone,” the tip of her nose, “that hasn’t stopped,” a lingering kiss on the lips, “kissing me back.”

He drew back and studied her pockmarked face just as she went to kiss him again. “Come on, aren’t you having fun.”

“Too much,” she said breathlessly. “I told you the others would be here any minute.”

“Ugh, fine,” He sighed dramatically. “Though I’m telling you, Katie I’m pretty sure your kiss healed me more than any healing pod ever did.”

She stifled a giggle and coached her face to a more serious expression. “We can talk about all that later.”

That sounded promising. Maybe she’d gotten over that whole ‘just friends’ bull shit she’d been feeding him for almost two months. Maybe he could finally tell her what he really felt for her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter than I wanted again! There's some pretty big stuff that I'm working on for this fic and I didn't want their nice little fluff at the end to be squished by it! Sorry to disappoint with the lack of reveal but it's coming soon!!
> 
> Some of you have been asking for fluff and some have been asking for angst. I'll tell you that the next chapter will have a lot of one and a little of the other but who knows which is which? 
> 
> Questions: 
> 
> Who will have the worst reaction (besides Lance) when they find out Pidge is pregnant?
> 
> Also someone please help me with the summary for this fic because I feel like what I have now sucks. 
> 
> As always thanks for all your enthusiastic comments! Let me know what you want to see out of this fic!
> 
> Love you all!  
> -BLUE


	6. A Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Lance spend three long days in quarantine.

LANCE

 

They didn’t catch a moment alone for three more days. Lance thought, being on quarantine, they’d get plenty of time to discuss things. . . and maybe kiss a little. The rest of the team did not get that memo. It seemed like they were taking it in shifts to make sure they were never alone. Every few hours a new mask-clad Voltron member was there to spend time with them.

 

First Hunk brought Kill Bot Phantasm II and set it up on a screen in the infirmary. He and Lance played while Pidge and her giant gauze hands watched dejectedly and shouted advice. She begged them to unwrap her hands and pouted dramatically when both boys refused. Lance didn’t say it but it was way easier to beat Hunk than it was Pidge. 

 

When Hunk left it was a mere 30 seconds before Allura walked in with the mice trailing behind her. Lance couldn’t help but notice Pidge make a point to sit between him and Allura. They watched as the mice put on their tiny acrobatic show. When the show was finished Pidge monopolized all of Allura’s attention leaving no room for Lance to chime in on the conversation. That was fine. He was perfectly content to watch Pidge chat animatedly with the princess. When Allura wasn’t paying attention he couldn’t help but slide a hand behind Pidge’s back to pinch her side. Pidge elbowed him hard which confused Allura to no end. 

 

Shiro came in next. Pidge, as she had with all of their visitors, pleaded with him to scratch her. When he said no she collapsed on the floor in despair. Shiro hauled her up by her armpits and deposited the ruffled looking girl on her feet next to Lance. She looked pretty miserable and Lance was glad his stint in the healing pod had sped up the process with his spots and kept him from itching too terribly.  He admired her for insisting that all of the refugees be treated in the pods for their narlexim poisoning before her. She was so strong. 

 

Shiro insisted that a good old fashion work out was in order to distract Pidge from her itching and keep them at the top of their game. At first, Lance felt bad sparring against Pidge when she didn’t have the use of her hands. He usually knew better than to hold back. You’d think he’d be able to beat her just by picking her up and holding her still but she was too quick. He moved to grab her and she was gone from sight. Suddenly he was on the ground in a choke hold and, honestly, kind of turned on by the whole situation. She held on till he gave her leg three swift pats signaling he had no way out. She hopped up and helped him to his feet grinning smugly. 

 

Coran swung by and kept Pidge occupied by having her explain different technical processes around the ship. Lance held the screen in his lap and keyed in the different fixes as Pidge dictated them to him. She scolded him a lot and lamented how much quicker she’d be able to do it herself but he knew she was glad to feel useful. 

 

Keith came by most often. He made Lance run sword drills with him with Pidge as referee. Her calls were wildly biased on Keith’s side, Lance decided. There’s no way Keith was that much better than him at swordplay. Other times he’d sit and they’d all talk about how the Galra seemed to continue to get their plans. No one really came up with anything good. The third day they reached Olkarion and team Voltron was needed for missions off the ship. Keith had forbidden them from leaving the room. He seemed to stare hardest at Pidge before he ran off down the haul throwing his mask off on the way. 

 

Lance and Pidge rushed to the window to see three lions flying over the horizon. Lance had been excited for days to get Pidge alone. Now that they were he was suddenly nervous. She was craning her neck to see what path the lions had taken over the viney jungle. He wanted to say it, but every time he had tried to tell her about his feelings she’d told him not to worry about it like she was doing him a favor. 

 

He’d been rejected by plenty of women. . . and men. . . and aliens that didn’t adhere to a gender binary. . . but for some reason the idea of Pidge turning him down was unbearable. He thought, after their solo trip, they’d define the relationship. Yet rather than speaking all they seemed to do in the few moments they found alone after the mission was to make out and fool around. In hindsight, he should have used that time to confess his feelings, because apparently even after everything, they were not implied. He couldn’t bring himself to believe that this was just physical for Pidge. She didn’t seem like that kind of girl and he really didn’t want to believe she didn’t love him back. So, then, what was the problem? 

 

The Olkarion sunlight was shining through the window reflecting Pidge’s hair and eyes in shades of amber and gold. Her freckled skin, usually smooth was still covered in the ghosts of the purple marks. He opened his mouth to tell her he needed her, he loved her, he wanted to spend the whole rest of his days with her. What came out instead was: “Here, I’ll unwrap your hands.” 

 

“Oh thank God! Really?” She said as she turned excitedly towards him. 

 

He loved the way her eyes shown when she was excited. The first time he’d noticed it had been nearly 5 years ago the first time she’d seen the robot, Beezer. The first time he’d noticed it on her face and aimed at him had been in the Space Mall when he had helped her buy the Mercury Gameflux II. Her face was more than worth 1200 gac not to mention all the time he got to spend with her after they finally found out how to hook it up. He knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. He avoided meeting her eyes as he unraveled the gauze. They had seen each other naked multiple times. How did she still have the power to make him this nervous?

 

He finished unwrapping her hands and placed a soft kiss on her fingertips. When he looked up her face was bright red. “Katie. . . Pidge?” 

 

“Yeah?” She breathed sounding as though she were on the verge of tears. 

 

“I’m in love with you.” 

 

Her hands flew out of his and protectively to her stomach. “I- uh- um. . .” Then her hands moved from her stomach to her face her eyes widening in shock. She ran to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. He could hear the sound of her retching from all the way across the room.

 

He stood up, absolutely stumped. He had been slapped across the face, lied to, led on, let down easy and many other things when he tried to come onto someone. Never had he ever had someone throw up when he told them he loved them. That really could have gone better. This would be a great story to tell their children. ‘Papa, what did mommy say when you told her you loved her?’ The thought popped unbidden into his head. ‘Well kids, your mother threw up and ran away.’   

 

A family with Pidge. A time after the war when they could just relax and think about themselves and be together. All of that sounded way to good to be true. He wanted it to be true. Of course he’d never abandon the war effort, but still, the idea of peace was too enticing. The sound of little feet running across the floor and the vision of a little girl with Pidge’s golden brown hair and his eyes.  He shook his head to clear it. He couldn’t make that vision a reality. He wasn’t even sure Pidge loved him back. All he knew was he wanted to be there for her no matter what.

 

He moved to the door and gently wrapped in it, “Pidge?” 

 

A beat. No retching sounds. No reply either. 

 

“Katie?” Still nothing. He hoped she was just ignoring him and not passed out in her own vomit. That was a situation Lance could relate to. He had a last resort; something that guaranteed some kind of response every time. “Katalina?” He called letting a little of the Cuban accent flow back into his voice. 

 

“I should have never told you that,” she groaned from the other side of the door. Lance smiled and reveled in being the only paladin that knew Pidge’s full name. 

 

“Come on; open up.” 

 

Several seconds of wretching followed by a sickly sounding, “Go away. I’m gross.” 

 

If the first name wasn’t working he was pulling out the big guns, “Katalina Paige Holt, will you please let me in the bathroom?” 

 

“Ugh, no.” Pidge’s voice was less firm this time. 

 

“I have 4 siblings and 3 nieces and nephews; I can handle vomit,” Lance told her. “Besides I’ve seen you naked sooo. . .” 

 

“Yeah but it was a sexy naked,” She protested feebly. 

 

“If I promise I won’t see you as any less sexy will you let me in?” 

 

She sniffled a couple times. “It’s not locked.” 

 

He opened the door to find her on the floor near the toilet looking absolutely miserable. Her eyelashes were wet from tears, “Ah you’re right you look awful,” Lance joked. He patted her head reassuringly. “Ponytail holder and a glass of water coming right up,” 

 

She made a miserable groaning sound that he took as a display of gratitude. She was retching when he came back with her water cup. He set it on the counter and grabbed her hair to keep it from her face. He tied it deftly into a knot at the nape of her neck. Sniffling she reached for the cup and drank gratefully. “Thanks,” she mumbled into the cup. 

 

Lance knelt beside her and rubbed the space between her shoulder blades. “You okay?” 

She looked at him deadpan and flushed the toilet. He raised his hands in surrender, “Okay, okay dumb question.” 

 

They sat on the bathroom floor together for several more minutes before Pidge decided the wave of nausea had passed. He helped her to her feet and waited while she downed her water and brushed her teeth. He made her sit down in front of the bed while he combed out the tangles from her shoulder-length hair. “Damn girl, your hair is thick,” he told her just as he had every time he braided it for her over the last several years. 

 

“Hm, no one’s ever told me that before,” She replied letting out a hiss as he worked the brush through a particularly difficult knot. 

 

She relaxed back against his knees as he began working his fingers through her hair to form twin braids. Lance felt like his heart might burst but he was working on keeping calm. Sure, he’d told the woman of his dreams he was in love with her and she had proceeded to vomit and then ignore the statement, but that was fine. That sort of thing must happen to people all the time. Right? His fingers trembled ever so slightly as he crossed the strands of hair. Even if she didn’t love him back (which she totally did) he was content to be her friend and braid her hair and help her when she was sick. He just hoped he didn’t catch whatever she had because she looked terrible. 

 

Pidge’s eyes were closed and with her head tilted back, Lance thought he could count all her long eyelashes. Her hands rested gently on her stomach and if it weren’t for the peaceful look on her face Lance might have been afraid she’d be sick again. When he finished her hair she wordless climbed up next to him on the bed and nestled herself in his arms. He smiled against her hair and encircled her in his arms; all to easy around her tiny frame. They laid there silently for a while. Lance placed the occasional kiss against her forehead as she seemed to listen to his heartbeat. 

 

Pidge had fallen asleep when Allura walked in. The princesses blue eyes widened in surprise. Lance felt a little shock of embarrassment, but he grinned sheepishly and pressed a finger to her lips. Allua hesitated a moment before she smiled, nodded, and backed out of the room. Hopefully, the whole castle wouldn’t know about the snuggling escapade by the time Lance and Pidge got out of there. If they did. . . well, hopefully, Pidge loved him  _ and _ wanted a public relationship. 

 

He was about to drift to sleep himself when Pidge stirred. “Lance,” she mumbled sleepily. 

 

The thrill of nervousness shot through him again. He tried to will his heart to stop beating so quickly knowing Pidge would be able to feel it. “Yes?” He said as calmly as he was able. 

 

“I need to tell you something,” she craned her head to be able to look up at him. 

 

She was not making this easy for him. He felt like his heart would leap from his chest. “Go ahead.” 

 

“I’m pre. . .” She hesitated. He felt her chest expand as she took a deep breath in. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you too.” 

 

Pretty sure was good enough for him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, my grandma's name was Catalina and she went by Catie. I thought it was a fun little addition to make Pidge's name Katalina.   
> I just wanted to write a fluffy chapter before shit inevitably hits the fan. Don't hate me! Next chapter will include an even bigger reveal, promise! Thanks again for being so supportive of this fic. All of you guys are hella inspiring! 
> 
> Love you!  
> Blue


	7. Talk It Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our green and blue (red) paladins talk to their friends about the things most important to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weird aside, I started writing this before the season 7. It's a post-7 universe but one in which they kept the castle because I'm the writer and I do what I want lol. The castle is my life.

PIDGE

Pidge needed to start keeping a tally of all the times she had felt stupid in the past two months. It seemed to be far exceeding the entire rest of her life. She was fully aware that the longer she waited to tell Lance she was pregnant the harder it would be. She also knew she couldn’t hide it from him forever. She had opened her mouth with the full intention of confessing everything. Instead, she’d just told him she loved him. It wasn’t untrue but she felt like she was digging herself deeper and deeper into a hole. Soon enough the secrets would pile up and she’d be six feet under. No more Katie.

Coran had just released she and Lance from the infirmary and she was headed back to her room for a real shower and a change of clothes. She barely made it halfway before Allura’s door slid opened and she was pulled inside. “Whoa, Princess!” Pidge shrieked trying to keep her balance as the taller woman dragged her inside by her collar.

“Tell me everything,” Allura demanded and clutched Pidge’s arm dramatically.

“Um, everything?” Pidge asked, her hand moving to the print out of her scan in her hoodie pocket. A photo of the bean-sized zygote that was inside of her. She didn't know what had possessed her to ask Keith for it. She knew it was a risk of people finding out before she was ready. And yet. . .

“How long have you and Lance been seeing each other” Allura pressed. Pidge had always loved the way Allura pronounced the ‘ah’ sound in words. She sounded princessly where Pidge felt like she sounded like a 15-year-old boy.

“I. . . Uh we’re not--”

“I've been saying for years that he was in love with you,” the princess gushed.

“Wait, what?” Pidge pulled back for a better look at Allura's face to see if she was joking. “That's impossible; he only told me he loved me a few hours ago.”

“Aha! I knew it!” Allura shrieked with glee. She pulled Pidge to the canopied bed at the back of the room and plopped down. Pidge sat gingerly at the foot of the bed. “You can't tell me you never noticed before.”

“We were just best friends, y’know? It wasn't anything like that.”

“Oh you're absolutely right,” Allura nodded seriously. “This confession of love came out of nowhere; I'm sure of it.”

“Well. . . I wouldn't say nowhere but it's recent,” Pidge explained. She worried her fingers together trying not to bite her nails in nervousness. Sure, she and Allura had had girl’s nights before. They talked and had little sleepovers but boys, especially Lance, were rarely a topic of conversation. Pidge had missed out on the boy talk part of her teenage years and she was absolutely not prepared for it now.

Allura lounged backward with a knowing smirk, “And the staring and the late nights together and the constant checking up on you and the video games and the gifts and the lack of personal space was all just best friendship?”

“Um, yes?” If Allura was going to be snarky with her two could play at that game, “No, you're right. His constant flirting with others, and nights off the ship, and dates, and other activities totally mean he's in love with me. I had a crush on him for years and never noticed he liked me back.”

“He was trying to get over you,” Allura told her sagely.

Pidge raised her eyebrows, “and he told you that?”

“Well. . .” Allura shrugged “he told the mice.”

“And the mice told you,” Pidge completed the thought and ran a hand through her shoulder length hair. “God, does anything stay secret around here?”

A shadow passed over Allura’s face but was quickly replaced with a smile. “A few things,” She said, “Tell me what he told you.”

“He said he was in love with me.”

“And you said?”

Pidge’s face burned. It had probably been one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. “I threw up.”

One side of Allura’s lips curled up before she quickly schooled her face back to a neutral expression. “You. . . vomited?” She asked, carefully.    


Pidge nodded glumly, “I did. He was very nice about it though.”

“He’s a very nice man,” Allura agreed before her composure broke and she snorted in laughter. “I’m sorry, Pidge. I just can’t believe you threw up after he confessed his love to you.”

Allura was laughing so hard it couldn’t help but bring a smile to Pidge’s face. “Alright, alright,” She raised her hands in defeat. “In hindsight, it was pretty funny.”

“I would pay to see the look on Lance’s face,” Allura kept laughing. She paused to imitate a dumbfounded Lance before busting up again. “But did you say it back?”

Pidge’s heart did a little flip before landing in some sort of very warm and fuzzy feelings. Her throat felt so warm she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I did,” she whispered.

“Oh, Pidge!” Allura cried, “I’m so happy for you. He loves you so much.” She flung her arms around the younger woman. Her hair smelled like vanilla. Even in space, it was a popular shampoo scent. Pidge buried her face in Allura’s mane. Something about the familiar, earthy smell made her homesick.

That’s when the tears started. She’d been holding it together for weeks since she found out and now it all bubbled to the surface. Since her breakdown when she had confessed to Keith she had kept everything in. Hearing how much Lance loved her when she was actively hiding something so major from him broke something inside her. He hadn’t done anything to deserve this. She had made assumptions Once the tears were flowing she couldn’t stop them. Soon what were a few, unnoticeable, silent tears became an onslaught of ugly, snotty, body-wracking sobs.

As soon as Allura realized Pidge was crying she pulled back to study her face, “What’s the matter?” She asked. She pulled Pidge back into a hug and let her cry into her shoulder. “Is it Lance?”

It took Pidge several seconds to quit crying long enough to answer. “No. . . kind of.”

“What did he do? Did something happen?” Her voice took on a harsh tone like she was ready to fight the man she’d just been gushing about.

“No, no, nothing happened,” Pidge sniffled and wiped her face on her sleeve. “No, that’s a lie. We had sex. That happened.”

Allura’s face remained neutral but Pidge could see the gears turning in her mind. “Okay.”

“2 months ago. . . On the diplomatic mission.” The tears were still running but she was almost able to breathe normally.

Despite Allura’s best efforts to control her face her eyebrows raised so high they practically disappeared into her hair, “I see.” She didn’t seem sure of what to say. “That's why you've been avoiding him?”

Almost of their own accord, Pidge's hands moved to the picture in her pocket. She pushed it into Allura’s hands. “This is why.”

Allura looked at the image recognition dawning instantly on her face. “No,” She gasped.

“Yes,” Pidge corrected her miserably. “Lance doesn’t know.”

Allura gave a tight-lipped nod. “So you’ll be terminating?” It was a question but it almost didn’t sound like one.

Pidge didn’t know what reaction she was expecting but it wasn’t that. Of course, she’d been considering it; it was practically her only option. Yet Allura was not the person she’d expect this counsel from. Keith had been wishy-washy on the subject. . . He was from Texas after all and the state, in general, wasn’t known for its progressive views. For some reason, she thought Allura’s thoughts would be more conservative as well. “Is that what you would do?”

“No,” Allura said and she rose. She retrieved an ornate looking box from a nearby shelf and handed it to Pidge. “It’s what I did.”

Pidge nearly choked, “What is this?” Allura motioned for her to open the box. She did and found a series of scans not very different from her own. She turned them immediately to their backs to see the dates. They were marked three years prior, confirming her suspicions. “Lotor?” She asked though that wasn’t a question either.

“I didn’t know until after. . .” Allura was staring mournfully at the wall as if she were watching another version of her life play out.

She didn’t need to finish the thought for Pidge to understand. After Lotor had revealed his true intentions. After they discovered he’d been torturing Alteans. After they fought him in the rift and watched him become a quintessence crazed monster. After they missed three years of an intergalactic war and were lost in space. After Lotor, a man Allura had loved, died. “I had no idea,” were the only words she managed to get out.

“No one did.”

Pidge had thought she had it bad. At least the father of her child was Lance McClain. He was her best friend and a good and kind man and even though she hadn’t told him yet at that moment she was sure he would be supportive of her. He wasn’t a crazy, evil emperor. She couldn’t imagine what Allura must have gone through. The conflicting emotions of falling in love with a man, believing the two of you would save the universe together only to have him stab you and everything you hold dear in the back. That was bad enough, but then to learn you were pregnant with that man’s offspring? Pidge didn’t know how Allura had stayed sane. “I’m sorry,” Pidge murmured but it didn’t seem to cover it.

Allura took the scans back and closed them in the box with a snap, “There’s nothing to be done about it now. It was a long time ago.” She searched Pidge’s face, “You understand I couldn’t bare an heir to the Galra throne, I couldn’t stop in the middle of the war, and. . . well, I don’t think I could’ve bared it looking at his child every day.”    


“Of course,” Pidge agreed and this time she pulled Allura in for a hug. “Of course you were right. But Lance. . .”

“Is by far a better choice of a mate than Blood-Emperor Lotor?” The princess laughed without humor, “My father and Zarkon were the only two of the original Paladins to have children. . . It didn’t seem to work out for either of us.”

In another universe, Allura and Lotor might’ve grown up to be comrades in arms, intended to one another, raised together. They might have had children, heirs to Daibazal and Altea whose descendants would be reigning right now. But they hadn’t. Voltron had driven their fathers apart just as it had brought the current paladins together. Nothing had worked out for the two children of the paladins. “I’ve been thinking the same thing,” Pidge admitted.

Allura returned the box to the shelf, “Even so, it is your decision, Pidge. I can tell you what I think is right, but I can’t tell you what to do. And neither can Lance.”   

Pidge wasn’t sure she’d actually be able to go through with it if Lance wasn’t on board but she nodded anyway. “I’ve got to tell him,” she decided aloud.

“That you do,” Allura agreed and patted him on the knee. “Who else knows?”

“Just you and Keith.”

She nodded, “We could tell him together if you’d like.”

“Honestly, I think him knowing after Keith of all people might add insult to injury,” Pidge sighed heavily. “I better do it by myself.”

“And sooner rather than later.” Allura agreed.

Telling Allura and finding out about the shared experience had certainly lifted a load from Pidge’s chest. She couldn’t help but mentally kick herself for not telling Lance. Again. If she had just gone to him before she took the test, or while she was waiting to find out, or before Keith had come to her room this all would’ve been so easy. Now no matter when she told him there would be the question of why she had waited so long. He would feel betrayed and it was all her fault. Man, she really did feel like a moron. She just needed to make sure the next person she told was Lance.

\--- 

LANCE

Lance lay upside down on the couch with his head hanging off the edge. He watched as Hunk fiddled with some palm-sized machine.

“I miss Pidge,” Hunk complained. “Where’s she been?”

“What my company isn’t good enough for you?” Lance teased.

“Do you know anything about robotics?” Hunk asked with a quirked eyebrow in Lance’s direction. “Besides Pidge sits in chairs correctly.”

“No and we both know that’s untrue,” Lance corrected giddily. “Ask me another question about Pidge, though.”

“Um, okay. . . how is Pidge doing?”   


“In love with me!” Lance announced giddily waving his long legs in the air over his head.

Hunk didn’t even bother looking up, “I kinda meant with the narlexium poisoning, but yeah.”

Lance pouted. “What you’re not shocked, excited, enthused?” He poked at Hunk’s back. “Come on, she’s in love with me! Doesn’t that warrant some reaction?”

Hunk chuckled, “You’re hopeless.”

“Work with me here, Hunk.”

“I’m sorry, buddy. Kinda hard to be excited about something I’ve known for 5 years.” Hunk shrugged. “Did you really only just figure it out?”

Lance tried to leap to his feet in surprise but just slid of the couch and landed on his head. Hunk didn’t even try to pretend not to laugh at him. “How can you have known for 5 years if she only told me like a couple hours ago?” Lance demanded.

Hunk set down the machine and turned to face Lance, “Wait she  _ told _ you?” He asked a grin starting to spread over his face.

Lance punched him in the arm, “There’s the excitement I was fishing for, man!” He pumped his fist in triumph “Katie ‘Pidge’ Holt is in love with me.”

“So are you like together now?” Hunk asked excitedly. “Finally?”

“What do you mean finally?” Lance asked dodging the first question.

“The whole ship has had wagers on it, dude.” Hunk pulled out his tablet and keyed in a few things.  He showed Lance a spreadsheet decorated in green and blue hearts titled  _ The Plance Pool. _ “Shiro said Pidge would confess first; Allura said it would be you; Coran said you’d be married before the war ends; Keith said you’d put the fight first and wouldn’t work it out until after the war.”

“And what did you say?” Asked Lance incredulously.

“I said you two were both too stubborn to admit your feelings for one another and someone else was going to have to point it out.” Hunk admitted.

“Aw man,” Lance thought back to their mission on Bulonak where the natives were able to sense others’ feelings. They’d had a meeting with their king. He’d told them their bond was strong and unbreakable and they did not see the beauty they shared between them. They had laughed it off at the time. . . but when they returned to the lodge the Bolonakis had furnished for them. . . he blushed at the memories.

“No way!” Hunk pumped his fist reading the look on Lance’s face. “I won didn’t I?”

Lance fended off the big guy’s bear hug, “Yeah, yeah you won how’d you do it?”

“Oh come on, I’ve known you and Pidge since the Garrison. I know you like the back of my hand.” He studied the back of his scarred hand for dramatic effect.

“Really, what am I thinking about right now?” Lance asked.

“Pidge,” Hunk guessed.

“Damn your genius!”   


“Anyway, you never answered. Are you guys official?” Hunk’s question made Lance blush so hard he went from pink to red to purple.

“Um, I may have forgotten to exactly. . . define the relationship,” He said sheepishly.

“You forgot. . . to define the relationship,” Hunk wiped his hand across his face in exasperation. “You know, Shay and I never seemed to have these problems.”

“Yeah well, we can’t all have some magical, preordained, space love affair.”

“Well, are you going to ask her?” Hunk prodded. His gadget lay forgotten on the ground now.

“To be my girlfriend?” Lance asked. “I don’t know it seems a little elementary.”

“Oh?” Hunk smirked at him.

“I feel like my feelings for her go so far beyond boyfriend/girlfriend. It seems like asking that would be backtracking.” Lance explained, “I mean we’ve been through so much together and she means everything to me.”

Hunk wiped a pretend tear from his eye, “That was beautiful.”

“Dude! I’m trying to share my feelings; be supportive!” Lance threw a nearby pillow at his friend’s face. It bounced off harmlessly

“Man, I’ll always be supportive of you and Pidge.” Hunk told him with a grin, “Besides, you could skip boyfriend/girlfriend and ask her to marry you -- prove Coran right.”

“Ugh!” Lance reached over Hunk trying to grab the pillow back, “give that back I need to throw it at you again.”

"Don't be so concerned with me!" Hunk protested covering his face from the smaller paladin's attack. "Why don't you talk to Pidge?"

"Don't you worry about that; the sharpshooter can kick your butt and get the girl." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another fun aside: I wrote at least half of this with Ketchup in my hair to get out the green undertones before my engagement photos. So this whole chapter smells like ketchup. Thanks so much for all your support. I appreciate all your comments and encouragement! Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	8. Coalition Meeting

KEITH

 

He had known being the head of Voltron would be difficult. He hadn’t known it would include reality show levels of drama. His heart ached for Pidge, it really did. She had gotten into an impossible situation and he couldn’t even begin to imagine what she must be going through. But damn if it wasn’t causing him all kinds of stress too. 

Shiro could tell he was hiding something. They had never had the kind of relationship where that had happened before. It was new territory to both of them. He wanted nothing more than to lay across his boyfriend’s lap and tell him everything that was on his mind. Every day for years they had told each other every little mundane thing that happened to them. Yet every time he tried to open his mouth to talk to Shiro about it the image of Pidge’s violently sobbing face appeared in his mind’s eye. As much as he wanted Shiro’s counsel, it wasn’t his story to share. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”  Shiro asked from his seat at the work desk on the far end of their bedroom. Keith jumped, startled out of his thoughts, and nearly fell off the armchair. He wondered, not for the first time, if all that Oriande, reanimation business had left the white-haired man a mind-reader. 

“Talk about what?” Keith replied a little too defensively. 

“The spy?”

“Oh, I have no leads” Keith sighed and let the tension fall from his shoulders. “There’s just too many places and organizations for him to be hiding in.” 

“I know, I know, I’ve been having the same thought,” Shiro agreed. “After so long without a breach the coalition’s security protocol has gotten a bit lax.” 

“A bit,” Keith laughed ironically. “Well, we know it’s not a leak inside the castle. . . And I trust the Blades.”

“Your mom or Kolivan would have told us if something was up,” Shiro spun in his chair to face Keith and steepled his fingers beneath his chin in thought. “So that leaves the coalition.” 

Keith put his head in his hands. “But the coalition is huge! Normally I wouldn’t consider that a bad thing but now. . .” 

“Maybe we should call Matt. He could brainstorm with us.” 

Keith nodded in agreement, “Yeah, you’re right.” Then his brain caught up to his mouth. “Wait, no!” 

“No?” Shiro looked taken aback. He may have been the leader of Voltron anymore, but he still was not used to being countermanded. They didn’t call him Captain Takashi Shirogane for nothing. When the captain said something people jumped to do it. 

Keith backtracked, cursing himself for losing his cool. “I just mean he might not have time right now.” 

“Well, it’s pretty important I’m sure he can make time,” Shiro reasoned. 

Keith couldn’t think of a single reason he shouldn’t welcome Matt’s help and presence aboard the ship. . . except Pidge. Shiro made his way to Keith’s chair and knelt by the arm staring at him intently. Keith smiled at him tightly, “You’re right, as always.” 

“Okay. . .” Shiro looked troubled. “I’ll send him a comm tonight and ask him.” 

“Good. Sounds good,” Keith mumbled noncommittally.

Shiro climbed up to perch on the arm and wrap his arms around the younger man. “Everything okay, babe?” He asked, rubbing a circle in the space between Keith’s shoulder blades. “You seem stressed.” 

Keith leaned back against Shiro’s touch. He soaked in his presence as a comfort. “I just need the war to end.” 

He felt the laugh rise in Shiro’s chest behind him before he heard it, “Yeah, me too.” 

Didn’t they all?

\---

LANCE

If he was being honest he hadn’t been paying attention to the briefing that was going on in the conference room. He was, instead, occupying himself by staring at his girlfriend who was sitting several seats down the long table between an Olkari and a Balmeran. God, she was so pretty. She sat with her chin in her hand staring intently at the holoscreen in the center of the table. She looked like he was focusing hard. Maybe Lance should be focusing too but she was just so distracting. 

The blue light from the holoscreen was reflecting on her glasses and hiding her amber eyes from view. She had such pretty eyes he wondered why she insisted on hiding them behind glasses she didn’t need. Her honey-colored hair was held -- he’d braided it -- back from her face in twin plaits that made her look even younger than usual. She’d barely changed from when she was 15. Maybe she had filled out a little more in a couple key areas (Lance would know he was an expert on those areas) and she’d grown out her hair but aside from that, she was the same. She was 20 (23 Earth's legal views) but didn’t look any older than 17. . . until you looked into her eyes. Her eyes were haunted and wise beyond her years. They weren’t 17-year-old eyes. They weren’t 20-year-old eyes either. They belonged to a woman who had seen too much. More than any 20-something had the right to have ever seen. But god, oh god was she beautiful. 

“So we need to get to the bottom of this,” Allura was saying when Lance turned back in. It was always a toss-up what Allura should wear to these functions. The other paladins always wore their armor. . . But Allura wasn't just a paladin. This time she had chosen to wear her armor-- a power play. She wanted to look tough in the face of the uncertainty sewn by the spy. She kept her hair down unlike how she wore it for battle. Her tiara was nestled against her forehead. Not only was she powerful and strong; she was feminine and regal.  She really was great at this stuff. Lance supposed she wasn't the princess for nothing. 

“Yes, that's all very true,” the Olkari leader put in from his seat on Pidge’s right. “This spy must be found and punished as soon as possible.” 

Shiro nodded gravely, “We have a prominent rebel and coalition leader coming to help us in the investigation.”

Movement brought Lance’s eyes back to Pidge. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and shot Keith a glare. The black paladin glared right back. Lance wondered what was going on there. He was sure Shiro was talking about Matt. Why wouldn't Pidge be excited to see her brother? He made a mental note to investigate later. 

“That's all well and good,” a blue and white fish-like alien said next to Lance. He tried to remember his name. He was either a Kalastri named Argalon or an Argalon named Kalastri. It was one of the two. “I'm all for the investigation as long as it does not interfere with Argalon’s prosperity ball at the end of the cycle.”

Was Argalon his planet or was he referring to himself in the third person? Probably the former. Lance could sense Keith's tension from across the table. “I'm sorry we're more concerned with finding an insurgent spy than we are with your dance,” he said in a clipped tone. 

Half the people (aliens?) at the table glanced in shock. The fish-man spoke, “I’ve never--”

“What our leader meant to say,” Lance interjected, “is that while the investigation is of the utmost importance we will, of course, all be in attendance at the prosperity ball.” 

He caught the grateful look Allura shot him and gave her a small nod. Kalastri/Argalon leaned close to him. From his new vantage, Lance could see just how much his skin resembled that of a shark. “And you will be there?” The fish-man asked hungrily. He eyed Lance appreciatively. His cold, black eyes met Lance’s then dipped to his lips, then his armor and back up again. 

His gaze made Lance want to protest that he wasn't a piece of meat for him to ogle. Instead, he said, “How can I turn down an offer from such an esteemed gentleman?”

He cast an apologetic look to Pidge when Kalastri turned back to Allura. He found the glare that had previously been aimed at Keith turned to him in full force. He smiled sheepishly at her and wiggled his fingers in a little wave. Her eyebrows raised but her expression did not change.

“I think that’s quite enough for today,” Allura said with a clap of her hands “Why don’t we reconvene in two weeks, after the ball, and we will go over the progress of the investigation?” 

Everyone rose from their seats as one. Kalastri was taller than he looked and towered at least eight inches over Lance. He leaned forward intimately and smiled revealing rows of pointed teeth. “I look forward to seeing you there,” he murmured huskily.

Lance felt a small arm loop through the crook of his elbow. Pidge had appeared at his side so fast he thought she must have teleported or slid under the table. She had pulled the braids from her hair -- maybe to look older -- and now it hung in tight waves to her shoulder pauldrons. “Lance, introduce me to your friend,” She said sweetly, but Lance could see the demon hiding just behind her eyes. 

“Of course,” said Lance with his winningest smile. “This is the illustrious Kalastri of Argalon. Kalastri, this lovely thing is Katie Holt, the Green Paladin of Voltron and resident genius. He slipped his arm out from hers and pressed his hand to the small of her back. He hoped the gesture was subtle enough to get the point across without offended a powerful ally.

“A pleasure,” said Kalastri and he planted a weirdly fishy kiss on her knuckles.

Pidge’s voice was overly polite when she responded, “Very nice to meet you, sir. I’m afraid I must steal away our handsome friend -- official Paladin business. . . You’ll understand.” It was a command, not a question or a suggestion. 

Kalastri might have responded but Pidge laced her arm through Lance’s once again and pulled him away. Before he knew it Lance and Pidge were standing in a broom closet a few hallways away from the conference room. 

“Jealous much?” Lance laughed nudging Pidge in the ribs. 

“As if,” She replied with a sniff. 

“Don’t worry, babe, it’ll take more than King Sharkey to stop me wanting you,” He said with a wink. 

“Oh shut up,” She laughed and shoved him playfully. 

“So, tell me about this official Paladin Business then.”

Her expression grew serious. Her eyes darkened and her brow furrowed like she was thinking deeply. “There’s something I’ve got to say. . .” She started.

“Oh, I see,” Lance was almost positive he knew where this was going. 

“I’m not really sure how to say this but. . .” She trailed off. Her eyes searched the closet as if looking for words. Her face was flushed. 

Lance figured he’d help her out, “Pidge, I already know what you’re going to say.” 

“You do?” She gulped, her eyes widened in shock. She was so adorable, Lance thought to himself. 

“Of course we’re going to go to the ball together. I’ve been thinking about it since the moment it was brought up.” 

“I-- uh-- what?” Pidge looked absolutely stunned. She was probably shocked he’d been able to read her mind so well. 

“Leave everything to me.” Lance told her, “I’ll take care of the clothes-- everything! I want us to have a perfect night finally together for real.” 

She hesitated for only a moment before she smiled back at him, “I’m-- I’m glad you’re so excited.” 

“I’d be excited to do anything with you,” he beamed, “I better go find a tailor!”  He ran out the door but doubled back to give her a swift kiss. “I love you!” 

“I love you too.” 

\---

PIDGE 

“So you’re not going to tell him?” Keith asked irritably. 

“She’s going to tell him eventually,” Allura explained, “She has too!” 

“I’m going to tell him!” Pidge exclaimed. “I’m just going to do it after the ball.” 

Keith was leaning against her dresser with his arms crossed looking like his usual emo self. His hair was tied back in a loose ponytail which gave Pidge that much better of a view of his dissatisfied glare. The red jacket he used to wear so often was no wear in sight leaving him in just his all-black attire. He looked like he could be at her funeral. He could very well be. “I think telling him now is the best course of action.” 

“It’s just that he’s so excited about the ball. If I tell him now everything will change,” Pidge explained. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed with Allura protectively standing by her side. 

Keith rolled his eyes and groaned, “and you don’t think him finding out you’ve waited weeks to tell him will cause problems?” He rubbed his temples as if the whole situation were causing him a migraine. “By then it’ll have been a whole month since you found out!”

“Last I checked, Keith,” said Allura coolly, “it wasn’t the duty of a man to tell a woman what she should and shouldn't do with her body.” 

“That isn’t what this is and you both know it!” 

“Then why did you invite my older brother of all people! Because that’s certainly a contributing factor to me waiting!” 

“I invited your brother because you were the only reason I could think of not to and I can’t sacrifice the entire coalition just for your convenience,” Keith explained gruffly. 

Pidge covered her eyes as if by not seeing the problem she could make the whole situation go away. Her head was aching ridiculously. “I’m waiting to tell Lance because,” she took a deep breath.  _ Because I want to go as long as possible before he starts hating me for what I have to do.  _ “Hopefully there will be fewer people in the castle after the ball, the last thing I need is for my brother and everyone else to find out, Lance is super excited about the ball and I don’t want to ruin it for him. And I’m just not ready yet.”

“It’s alright, Pidge,” Said Allura soothingly. She patted the younger girls hair and shot a look in Keith’s direction, “We can do all of this on your schedule.” 

“I just don’t want anyone else to know,” She said quietly against Allura’s arm. 

Keith sighed, “Pidge, I just want what’s best for you.” 

“Since when are you the one who knows what is best for her?” Snapped Allura.  

He raised his hands as if in surrender, “Alright, alright we wait! We wait two weeks until you are over 2 months pregnant and almost done with the first trimester!” 

He was trying to make her feel guilty for not telling Lance but instead, she felt guilty for another reason. There was no way that Keith Kogane who did not have a human mother, was gay, and spent most of his life alone, knew anything about human pregnancy and the female reproductive system. He had researched this. He’d researched it because he cared about her. . .  and about the baby. Like she didn’t already feel bad enough. She just hoped against hope that Lance would support her -- that he wouldn’t hate her.

“I’ll work it out,” Pidge told her. “I’ll tell him once the ball is over and Matt leaves. I don’t want anyone else finding out that doesn’t have to.” 

Allura rubbed her arms comfortingly, “Of course, Pidge, we will do anything to support you.” She looked pointedly at Keith but he was too busy staring at the Trash-Paladins that were sitting in the corner of her room. Lance’s was the furthest to the back. Two of her space caterpillars, one green, one blue, were floating aimlessly around the room nudging at one another every now and then. 

“Thank you, guys, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me throughout all of this,” Said Pidge. 

Allura threw her arms around Pidge again and squeezed her in a tight hug that really can only be imparted by alien princesses. After a second the princess loosened her grip on the youngest Paladin to wave a hand at Keith, “Oh, get over here!” 

Keith reluctantly moved from the dresser to join in on the hug. “I love you both,” Pidge told them when they finally broke apart. 

“We know,” Keith said and ruffled her hair in the back. 

“Well, now that’s all sorted we have one more problem here. . .” Allura announced. 

“Oh?” Pidge asked, her heart sinking a little. What else could possibly be going wrong?

She poked Pidge in the stomach, “We need to be sure the dress Lance gets you will actually zip.” 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me longer than usual to get the chapter out! I know it's a little filler-y but big things are coming up!


	9. A Night to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge prepares herself both for the ball and for revealing her secret to Lance. But, keeping pace with her life the past several weeks, thing do not go as planned.

PIDGE

Pidge, who (though weeks away from a baby bump) was feeling incredibly bloated, had let it slip to Allura, who mentioned it in passing to Lance, that a lace up back would be much better than one with a rigid zipper. Lance, always one for romanticism, had quickly agreed. He had, apparently, been several steps ahead of the two female paladins. The dress design, he  had informed Allura privately, already featured a lace up back and flowing designs. Those were the only details the princess would provide no matter how much Pidge pestered her. The older girl had seen the dress but Lance had sworn her to secrecy. 

“Whatever, I just better not look like a cupcake,” Pidge mumbled once she had determined she wouldn’t be getting anymore information from her friend. 

“Not to worry, Pidge, I’m sure you’ll be quite pleased,” Allura told her as she hung the dress bag up on one of the canopy posts of her bed. “But we’re saving the best for last. Come let me fix your hair.”  

“I doubt there’s much you can do to help it,” Pidge said, must to Allura’s offense. 

“Pidge, I can create masterpieces of hair in my sleep,” the Princess bragged as the two women settled themselves in front of the vanity mirror. 

Pidge almost remarked that even though it was growing out now her hair was thick and unruly and even when it had been long when she was a girl she had been able to do little but coax it into Dutch braids or a tangled ponytail, but she decided to let Allura have her moment. After much cajoling, style products, and beauty machines on Allura’s part Pidge’s hair looked much the same as before. 

“Fine,” said Allura with every bit of dignity she could muster after such an epic failure. “Perhaps a more simple style is in order.” 

Pidge grinned, but she withheld her thoughts of  _ I told you so _ . Allura eventually settled on lightly curling Pidge’s hair which was just about the only thing it could hold. She let her bangs sweep gently into her face and pinned the other side of her hair back with a silver comb in the shape of a vine. 

“Beautiful!” Allura remarked as she positioned the comb for about the thousandth time. 

“I’ve gotta say I’m impressed,” Pidge allowed, “I didn’t expect you to be able to get it to do anything but sit in a hair band.” She poked at the curls that just barely brushed her jawline. 

Allura was looking a little worse for wear but she beamed anyway, “never doubt me, dearest Pidge. Now for the makeup!” 

Makeup wasn’t nearly as difficult as hair. Especially since Pidge was pretty insistent about not wearing a lot of it.  She tried to hold still as Allura painted the black liner onto her eyes. She had gone through this often enough to know the fallout from Allura if Pidge allowed her eyeliner to smudge. With a spritz of some sort of mystery spray on her face Allura pronounced her ready and allowed her to get up to put on her dress. Her dress custom designed by Lance. 

Allura unzipped the dress bag slowly. Pidge realized at that moment that she had no idea what she had been expecting. She did know it hadn’t been anything as beautiful as this. It was green, this much she had guessed, but she had thought it would be the green of her paladin armor. This was green like forest moss or like vines tangling through trees, or like the ivy that crawled up the buildings on the college campuses where her mother taught. The fabric was somehow silky without being shiny and it was smooth against her skin as Allura helped her pull it over her head. 

The dress draped off her shoulders and hugged her body like it was made for her, which she supposed it was. She admired it in the mirror as Allura worked at lacing her into it. The bodice comprised of several overlapping layers that accentuated what bust she had. It flared out right at her waist and his any first trimester bloating that she had been experiencing. It stopped in the middle of her calves, which she simply adored, other dresses she had borrowed from Allura and others had always been floor length and compromised her ability to move. 

Allura inhaled deeply, “I must say Lance has outdone himself.” 

Pidge opened her mouth to agree but her breath hitched in her throat when Allura produced two more boxes. The first was obviously shoes. They were silver and higher than Pidge was usually accustomed to wearing but the thick heel and ankle strap left her sure she’d still be able to walk in them. The really interesting thing was was the necklace and earrings that resided in the smaller box. The earrings were dangly, the resembled Allura’s but were a deep green instead of blue. The necklace was simple compared to the splendor of everything else. It was a small pendent with the image of a moon. Not any moon, she corrected herself. It was Luna, Earth’s moon in what she believed to be waxing gibbous. She took it in her hands to inspect it further. A date was inscribed on the back. September the first of nearly six years prior. It was her first day at the Garrison. 

Allura said out loud what Pidge had been suspecting, “He says that was what the moon looked like the day he met you.” The Altean could barely keep the giddiness out of her voice.  _ I told you so _ , her dancing blue eyes seemed to say.  _ I told you he’s always loved you.  _ She helped Pidge fasten it around her neck to complete the look. 

Pidge could barely speak. She had come to terms with the fact that Lance loved her. . . or a least liked her romantically. She had, in the past few weeks since her recovery, succumbed to the cuddling and the kissing in secret. She’d told him dozens of excuses of why she didn’t want anyone but Allura to know about their relationship. He believed her. He trusted her and she had been lying to him for weeks. 

“Are you ready for this?” Allura asked her gently.

“No,” Pidge admitted, “but I guess I have to be.”

“You’ll tell him after?” 

“I have a plan.” 

Allura patted the younger girl sympathetically on the arm. “I believe in you and I am here for you no matter what happens.” Pidge smiled in response before Allura pulled her out of the door. 

The shoes were a hindrance but the years of dance she had taken as a kid started to kick in and she was walking like a pro before she stepped foot in the grand hall. 

“Looking good, Pidge,” Hunk said shooting finger guns in her direction. 

“You don’t look too shabby yourself,” she replied with a grin. “Seen Lance?” 

“Have I seen him?” Hunk laughed, “I have and I have half a mind to steal him from you.” 

Pidge laughed and punched him in the arm. Hunk nodded his head towards the back of the ballroom. “Last I saw he was back there.” 

Pidge thanked him and made her way in the direction he’d pointed her. She didn’t make all the way to the back of the ballroom before a voice stopped her in her tracks. “Katie?” 

She whirled, expecting to see Lance standing behind her. Her heart did a little somersault but sank abruptly when her she met the amber eyes of her brother rather than the cerulean ones of her boyfriend. “Matt!” She exclaimed a little too loudly. “I thought you were out investigating?” 

“And miss the party of the century?” He joked as he folded her into a hug. He held her a moment too long, taking the extra time to whisper in her ear, “the investigation brought me here.” 

Pidge raised her eyebrows but tried not to let her face show her alarm. She knew better than to ask him further questions here. With a spy in their midst there was no telling who might be listening in on their conversation. “Are you looking for Lance?” Matt asked, a hint of danger in his eyes. 

She swatted his arm, “I’m an adult, you know.” 

“Doesn’t mean I have to like your decisions. Guys like Lance only think about one thing, you know.” 

“Yeah, you’d know,” she tried to sound playful but inside she was panicking. She wished her brother hadn’t gotten involved. She had no intention of telling anyone else but Lance about her problems, but if he didn’t react well. . . if he broke up with her for lying to him. . . Well, taking their relationship public before she talked to him about everything was definitely a complication. 

“Are you happy?” Matt asked her, his eyes searching her face for a clue. 

She hesitated a second. The question would have been easier to answer after she talked to Lance. When she knew their relationship would survive the night. Somehow she managed to meet her brother’s eyes and smile, “I’m happy.”

“Good,” he patted her on the shoulder. “Just be careful.” 

Careful. She was about 10 weeks past careful. She was beginning to regret her decision to wait to tell Lance. Nonetheless she kept looking for him. She wanted to give him happy memories of this night he’d been looking forward to for so long before she almost definitely ruined everything. She had made her bed. She knew she had to lie in it. 

She thought she caught a glimpse of Lance slipping around a corner into a back hallway. He was probably going to wait for her there. She moved to follow him before she was stopped by a tall, fishy, man. She bumped straight into the chest of Kalastri, King of Argalon. 

The alien put his fin-like hands on her shoulders to steady her, “Well if it isn’t Katie Holt, Green Paladin and resident genius.” 

Pidge recognized the words Lance had used to introduce her to the king. She bobbed in a curtsy and smiled even though he really creeped her out, “Your Grace.”

He smiled, showing off his wicked sharp teeth. “Such manners,” he praised. “I imagine you’re in search of your handsome, blue mate?” 

Pidge was usually, quite surprisingly, good at diplomacy. Many people thought that because she was the tech genius she might suffer socially. Her dad was a prominent scientist and member if the military. Pidge had been prepared, because of that, from a very young age to navigate conversation with prominent leaders whose egos bruised easily. Yet with Kalastri’s rows of shark teeth baring down on her she seemed to be unable to do anything but smiled demurely and nod. 

Kalastri’s smile widened even deeper, “Well I’m quite sure you’ll find him soon enough.” He leaned down so his face was level with Pidge’s, “but I dare say the blue one gets to enjoy you often enough, surely you’ll humor me with a dance before you run off to find him.”

Pidge craned her neck to see if she could still see Lance through the crowd. She couldn’t and there was no polite way to deny the king who was hosting this ball a dance. “Of course, Your Grace.”

She allowed Kalastri to snake his arms around her waist and begin to whisk her around the dance floor. They made polite conversation about the ball and the flourishing Argalonian economy. As the song drew near the end Kalastri drew her even closer. He leaned down so that his breath was hot on Pidge’s ear. “Go find the blue one, young Katie, but do be careful.”  With that he spun her away from him and disappeared in the crowd. 

Pidge paused to regain the composure.There was that word again. Careful. Why was everyone telling her to be careful. Careful of what? Careful of Lance? A deep sense of foreboding was beginning to set in. As if something terrible was lurking just outside of her vision. She needed to find Lance. 

She kept her eyes firmly on the ground ahead of her in order to avoid eye contact with anyone else who may wish to talk to her. She caught a glimpse of black boots dancing with a larger set of black loafers which she knew without glancing up to be Shiro and Keith. Thankfully, neither of them called out to her. 

She finally rounded the corner she’d seen Lance take earlier. It appeared to be some sort of servant’s hallway. She passed a few Argalonians in black uniforms who rushed back and forth carrying trays. She still didn’t see Lance. Her sense of foreboding only grew. She felt as though someone may jump out from behind her and scare her at any moment. 

She turned yet another corner and finally found Lance. Hunk had been right. He looked fantastic. He was wearing a suit that must have previously belonged to King Alfor. It was a red, well tailored, formal uniform. It fit him well, hugging his shoulders and muscles in all the right ways without being showy. His hair was roughed up, but not in that intentional way he liked to wear it. It was roughed up in a way Pidge had seen it too many times. As if someone had been passionately running their fingers through it. 

That was, Pidge realizing in the same heart wrenching moment, exactly what was happening. Lance was pushed up against the wall by a woman she didn’t recognize. At first glance she might have thought it was Nyma, but it must have just been a someone of the same species. This woman was taller than Nyma and had a darker coloring. And she was doing something Nyma would never. She was making out with Pidge’s boyfriend. 

Pidge felt as if her whole world was spinning. Anger surged through her and she wished she had her bayard to zap the shit out of the boy in front of her. The two were still kissing, they didn’t seem to have noticed her presence. Well, in the absence of her weapon she would have to improvise. She removed both of her shoes and threw them, in rapid succession, at Lance’s head. 

The first shoe hit home and Lance pushed the woman away and dodged the second. His eyes seemed to clear up and he registered what was happening. “Pidge, wha--” 

Pidge wished she had something else to throw and him. Instead, she spun on her heel and ran away. 

LANCE

A very long stretch of Lance’s memory was missing. He’d been one of the first people to arrive at the ball. He’d gotten a death glare from Matt and decided to actively avoid his girlfriend’s older brother until she arrived. It wasn’t that he needed her to protect him. . . well, actually that was exactly what it was. 

He ran into a few old friends and chatted with them aimlessly as he waited for Pidge near the back of the room. He’d danced with Kalastri when the King had asked so as not to offend him. There was still no sight of Pidge. Kalastri had noticed how distracted he was and had said several pretty confusing things. He had blustered about Lance watching himself and the dangers of both political intrigue and romance. That was pretty much par for the course when charming alien diplomats so Lance didn’t think much of it. 

Then a woman he didn’t know approached him and -- nothing. She was tall with skin that distinctly reminded him of the color his milk turned after he finished all his cocoa puffs. Her eyes were completely black but they seemed to glitter with amusement as she approached. She smiled at him and bobbed in a curtsy. She’d opened her mouth to speak but he had no idea what she had said. That was the last thing he remembered until he came to in a narrow hallway, kissing the strange woman, with a knot on his head where Pidge’s shoe had collided with his face. He didn’t have time to think. He could barely process what was happening and having been hit in the head by a shoe hadn’t helped matters. 

He shoved the girl he’d been kissing away and called out to his girlfriend. Would she still be his girlfriend if she didn’t believe his, admittedly unbelievable, story? He cursed himself for being taken in so easily. He had never seen Pidge look so hurt. Her eyes reflected nothing sort of hatred. She hadn’t even looked at Lotor with such scorn. She turned and fled, her bare feet padding against the marble floors. 

Lance had never felt so despicable in his life. He, for the life of him, couldn’t figure out what had happened. When asked about it later, he would regret not staying behind with the girl he’d been kissing. Not because he wished he had taken up with her instead of Pidge, but because if he had been thinking clearly he might have thought to question her as to how exactly he had been brainwashed and to what end. And had he done that he might have prevented the terrible suffering that came next. He didn’t stay behind, however, his only thought had been of Pidge and trying to win her back. He didn’t consider how he was playing directly into villainous hands. . . and so he ran. 

It wasn’t difficult to overtake Pidge, both because Lance’s legs were so much longer and because she was running barefoot in a poofy dress while crying. He skidded to a halt alongside her and grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her from running away again. “Pidge, please, I can explain.” 

She struggled slightly in his grasp, but only half heartedly. He knew that had she wanted she could have thrown him to the ground and be gone down the hallway in an instant. He would have let her do it. He deserved it. She wrenched herself from his grasp as if it were repulsive to touch him. “Explain what?” Pidge snapped, “Why you were kissing someone else? Why you’ve been lying to and manipulating me?” 

“I haven’t been lying to you, Katie, I promise.” 

“Oh? You’ve been telling me you love me. I don’t see how that could be true if you could do this,” She snarled as she whipped her hair over her shoulder. 

Her words  were like daggers in his heart. “I do love you,” Lance pleaded, “please if you just let me explain.” 

Lance held her gaze despite how much it hurt him to see the contempt in her eyes. “Everyone was right about you,” she spat, folding her arms over her chest. “Everyone told me not to get involved with you and I was too stupid too listen.”

Now anger flared in the pit of Lance’s belly, taking a spot right next to the despair he’d been feeling only seconds before. His mind flashed back to a conversation from several weeks before that they’d had in the kitchen.  _ I know how you are, _ she’d said. He raised his eyebrows at her, “Oh everyone warned you about me? Everyone told you what a terrible bad boy Lance McClain was and warned you to stay away from me?” She was getting on his last nerve. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, hadn’t done anything of his own free will and yet she trusted him so little that she wouldn’t even stop to hear his side of the story? That didn’t exactly seem like the basis of a healthy relationship to Lance. “None of that seemed to stop you from throwing yourself at me,” he’d aimed his words to hurt and from the way Pidge’s eyes flickered he knew he’d met his mark. 

She hesitated, “That’s not--” 

“I’m not finished.” Lance shot back. Now that she had made him angry he couldn’t seem to hold himself back. “You said you loved me, you said you trusted me, but obviously not.” Pidge started to open her mouth to retort but he cut her off, now on a roll. “You knew about my past and you said you were okay with it, you said you knew I was serious about you, you said you didn’t judge me but all you’ve ever done was judge me. And this isn’t even because of the sex or the relationship, I am in love with you and I have always been in love with you but you never seemed able to believe me. Sure, we started a relationship before all of that you were supposed to be my best friend but you can’t even stop judging me and assuming the worst of me without even letting me tell you my side of things.”

“I’m not the one who’s macking on other people in a hallway!” She screamed. Tears were streaming down her face now. Half of Lance wanted to cradle her and brush them away, the other half raged against her. She wiped at her face with the backs of her hands, “You want to talk about being a bad best friend? I was fine with us being casual. I was fine without taking it too far but you had to keep flirting and keep pushing to make me fall and love with you and then you just toss me aside like any of your other lovers?” 

“See? There you go again assuming the worst of me!” Lance exclaimed, running his hands backwards through his hair in exasperation. He raised the pitch of his voice imitating Pidge, “Oh, Lance is terrible he has so many partners’ Oh, Lance is taking advantage of all this poor men and women’ Lance is such an awful flirt; Lance can’t keep his hands to himself; Lance is so morally bankrupt; a perfect, smart girl like me could never be in love with someone as repulsive as him.” He was out of breath when he finished. He hadn’t realized so many bitter thoughts had resided in his head until now. Why couldn’t Pidge see the way she was hurting him? Why couldn’t she just listen to him and believe him.

When Pidge spoke again her voice was soft, the anger had drained out of her like she was too exhausted to keep it up, “I just don’t see how I was stupid enough to believe we could build a life together.”

He felt the anger seep out of him as if it washed down to his feet and out onto the floor. He wanted to reach for her and pull her into a hug. He wanted things to go back to normal. He wanted to go back to believing that they were best friends and that they were made for each other. Even though she was right in front of him, barely an arm’s reach away, the distance between them was too far. 

He walked forward. Pidge shifted as if she expected him to embrace her, hell he half expected to embrace her himself. He didn’t, though. He walked straight past her and said, “I guess everyone was right. I’m not good enough for you.” 

He left her standing in the hallway and, when asked about it later, he would tell you that was his second biggest mistake of the night. Maybe if he stayed with her, maybe if they worked things out they would have figured out the plot that would change the course of their lives. 

Feeling a little hollow inside, Lance made his way back out into the ballroom. He intended to find Keith and let him know what had happened with the mysterious woman. Although his mind wasn’t entirely clear, he was together enough to realize there was something sinister afoot. Normally, he’d talk to Pidge about something like this, but as that was no longer an option he figured going straight to their commander-and-chief was the best course of action.

Rather suspiciously, he couldn’t spot a single paladin in the ballroom. He saw Shay on the other end of the room, but Hunk wasn’t with her. Coran and Romelle lingered near the dessert table but Allura was nowhere to be found. True Shiro and Keith were known to occasionally wander off for a .little alone time, but Lance couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. All five paladins, himself included, seemed to have left the party at around the same time. Something didn’t seem right. 

He was about to walk towards Coran and Romelle when a voice from behind Lance made him jump, “Where’s Pidge?” He turned to find Matt standing there with a wine glass in his hand. Matt was just about the last person he wanted to see at that moment, but he needed help. 

“She, uh, needed air.” Lance lied. Having a fight with Matt over his sister’s honor was not going to help things. “Hey, have you seen Keith?” 

“Keith?” Matt glanced around as though he hadn’t noticed that the Black Paladin had been missing. “I saw him and Shiro dancing maybe 30 doboshes ago, why?” 

Lance looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. He lowered his voice, “I was just attacked by a guest.” He silenced Matt’s start of surprise with a wave of his hand. “And now I’m the only paladin at the party. It’s like someone was trying to distract us all.” 

Matt took a sip of his drink casually but Lance could tell his eyes were scanning the room to confirm his statement. He nodded almost imperceptibly. “Well, my sources indicate that the spy, whoever it is, is here tonight.” 

“Yeah, I think I might have already had a run in with her,” Lance told him, “I was looking for Keith to let him know, but I think we may need to evacuate.” 

“Better safe than sorry,” Matt agreed, “but how do we get everyone out?” 

Lance caught sight of Kalastri making his way across the dancefloor in his direction. He waved the king down to catch his attention. It may be difficult to convince him to call of a party that meant so much to his people, but if anyone could get everyone out quickly it was the king and host. He was sure Kalastri would see reason and help him and Matt save people. “You round up the paladins and the rebels and make sure they’re ready for a fight,” Lance whispered to Matt. “I’ll take care of the evacuation.” 

“Alright,” Matt murmured, “but Lance? Take care of Pidge, okay?” 

In the rush of uncovering the plot Lance hadn’t been thinking of his fight with Pidge. A sharp twinge shot through his heart at the mention of her but he nodded. “Of course I will.”

“You’re a good man,” Matt said, patting Lance on the shoulder before he disappeared into the crowd. That definitely did not make Lance feel any better. 

Lance shook his head to clear it. He could take care of Pidge and their relationship or lack there of later, right now he needed to make sure everyone survived the night. That goal had been in his head only seconds before it went up in smoke. Kalastri had almost reached him, his eyes filled with concern, when the ground shook. Suddenly Kalastri was not in front of him anymore. 

Where the King had been only moments before a fallen pillar now lay. All over the ballroom chaos erupted. Explosion after explosion erupted and the room was enveloped in smoke and dust from debris. All semblance of a plan flew out of Lance’s mind as the ballroom was demolished around him. He turned and saw where the servant’s hallway had been mere doboshes ago, the place he had left Pidge, there was only rubble and open air. 

All thoughts of their fight and any bitterness he may have held onto flew out of his head. The idea of saving everyone else before his fellow paladins was completely lost. Already he could hear the moaning of the dying and the wails of survivors. He couldn’t focus on any of it. He could only think of one thing. 

“Pidge!” he screamed and ran towards the ruined hallway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I can say about that is I am sorry. Let me know what you think in the comments or yell at me for everything that happened this chapter. On the upside the ball is really rolling on this fic now. I hope to update soon.   
> Love you all!


	10. A Loaded Gun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the wake of an explosion that will leave Voltron changed forever, Lance searches for a way to save his loved ones. That is, until a loaded gun gets in the way, and another revelation that will rock the core of Voltron is made.

PIDGE

Pidge was sitting against the wall hugging her knees to her chest when the other girl approached her. She didn’t look up even though she heard her approaching. How had Lance made out with another girl and somehow still managed to make Pidge feel like things were her fault? She knew when this started -- knew when she first slept with him that it wasn’t supposed to mean anything. Yet somehow it did. And somehow, well she knew exactly how, but somehow she’d gotten pregnant. And she was no closer to a concrete solution to that than she had been to telling Lance. She should have told him. She should have brought it up before she let the feelings and the romance get in the way. Pidge was infuriated at herself because if she told him they might have never gone down this road, and at him, both for not returning her feelings and for lying to her about it. 

The girl stood in front of Pidge for several moments before she held out Pidge’s shoes directly in her line of sight. Pidge accepted the shoes from her without saying anything.

“My name’s Liora,” she said, sitting down next to Pidge, “I just wanted to say I didn’t know he had a girlfriend. I’m really sorry.”

Liora’s voice sounded genuine, but that didn’t make her any less bitter.  Pidge tilted her head to look at her, “Well, he doesn’t anymore so you’re welcome to go after him if you want.” She tried and failed to keep her voice from wobbling.

“Who would want an awful man like that?” Liora scoffed. “He lied to both of us. He sounds like scum to me.”

“Yeah,” Pidge sniffed, though for some reason she couldn’t seem to reconcile the words scum and Lance together. The word bounced around her head, _scum, scum, scum, scum._ All the while some other part of her reasoned that she and Lance were friends and even if this fight and the things she needed to reveal would change that dynamic forever they would ultimately work through it. Pidge felt as though she preferred that option.

Liora did sound reasonable though. Very reasonable. “I just don’t see how any man could be so awful to a beautiful woman like you,” She continued, “I wish men like him would just disappear in space.”

Lance had hurt her, yes. He’d hurt her more than she’d ever been hurt before, but wishing he’d disappear forever? She met Liora’s eyes and wondered if she were right. An hour ago she never would have wanted to live in a world without Lance . . . but now? Now, she was beginning to see reason. “The universe would be better without people like him,” she heard herself saying.

“There’s a good girl,” said Liora, patting Pidge’s shoulder. The strange woman rose to her feet and smoothed the wrinkles from her dress.

Pidge expected to bristle at being called a good girl but the irritation did not come. She couldn’t seem to make herself think ill of Liora. She was such a nice girl. Such a reasonable person. Pidge believed that Liora might just be the wisest and most beautiful creature she’d ever meet in her whole life.  Of course, everything Liora said was true. Liora would never lie to her. Liora extended her hand to Pidge to help her up and Pidge accepted.

“Would you like to do something for me?” Liora asked her sweetly.

 _Ask her what. Never agree before you know what they want,_ a voice in Pidge’s head commanded, but the paladin didn’t listen. Looking into Liora’s eyes, Pidge had never trusted anyone more in her life. “I would do anything for you,” she breathed, shocking herself at how eager she sounded and how much she meant the words.

“Of course you would, pet,” Liora turned to walk down the hall and motioned for Pidge to follow, “Come, we have work to do.”

LANCE

Lance must have bitten his cheek somehow. There was a stinging sensation in his left cheek. His tongue probed the swollen area feeling the ragged flesh. He didn’t remember having done it. . . of course, he didn’t seem to remember much of the night. The world had erupted just seconds ago, his senses were inundated in the explosion. Flashing lights, sounds of screams, smoke-filled air, the scent of burning, and the scent of death. It all seemed to have narrowed down to Lance, his bitten cheek and Pidge.

He had to find Pidge. He’d left her all alone and then he’d watched the last place he’d seen her go up in smoke. Something was tugging at the back of his mind, speaking thoughts that had no place in his head. _Leave her there, she doesn’t love you, don’t go after her._ He didn’t feel like himself. The voice in his head saying those things made him instantly uncomfortable, It didn’t matter, he knew, if she didn’t love him, he still had to save her. She was everything to him.

“Pidge!” He shouted over the protesting voice in his head. Something was wrong. He tried to dig through the rubble in search of her but every time he closed his eyes to blink he’d open them to find himself walking away from the wreckage. Lance wasn’t even in control of his own body. His mind felt as if he were grasping at water. He tried to hold on to thoughts, to move forward but they just kept slipping through his hands. The flesh of his bitten cheek throbbed but he couldn’t even keep hold of his own body long enough to touch his face.  Someone or something else wanted him to walk away and it was taking all of Lance’s willpower to not give it control.

He was standing there trying to force his body to do something, anything but stand there frozen when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Lance turned to find Keith, sword in hand. The black paladin wore a regular tuxedo just like he’d wear on earth, but that was the only normal thing about him. He was bloodied. His face deeply scratched mirroring the scar he’d received nearly three years before. His eyes had taken on a cat-like yellow cast and his teeth had elongated into fangs. Lance had only seen Keith take on his Galra traits a handful of times and those times had never turned out well for his opponents.

“Where have you been?” Lance asked, “Something really weird is going on.”

Keith cracked his neck but said nothing. The motion revealed a small metal device implanted in his neck that glowed with a faint green light. Keith widened his stance and held his sword out in front of his as if he were taunting Lance.

“I’m not going to fight you, Keith,” Lance said slowly, but his hand, unbidden, went to the bayard at his side. The Black Paladin merely smirked charged him.

Lance tried to duck and sweep Keith’s legs to keep from having to fight him, but his body seemed to have other plans. He lifted his bayard which materialized his Altean broadsword just in time to block the arc of Keith’s blade as it descended towards his face.

“Dude, what the hell?” Lance asked even as his arm forced him on the offensive, parrying another blow and lunging towards Keith’s chest. Keith back flipped out of reach and snarled at Lance.

Lance tried to plant his feet. He tried his damnedest not to grip the broadsword in both hands and rushing his friend, but, as much as his mind protested, that was exactly what he did. Lance saw the opening in Keith’s stance. He knew whatever force was puppeteering him saw it too. He tried to close his eyes against the strike he couldn’t stomp himself from making but even that tiny bit of control had been taken from him.

So concentrated was he on this internal struggle that he didn’t notice when Keith’s stance shifted. The Black Paladin lunged to the ground sending Lance toppling over him. He rose to his feet and loomed over where Lance was sprawled on the ground. “Did you really think you could beat me, McClain?” he drawled.

Lance gulped, his sword had clattered from his hand as he fell and now lay at Keith’s feet. Keith tracked the movement of Lance’s eyes and kicked the weapon far from reach. As it skittered across the rubble strewn floor it transformed back into a bayard. Lance tried to keep his cool as he looked for a way out, a way to survive, “Well, there’s a first time for everything isn’t there, buddy?” he joked. Keith didn’t laugh.

 Lance rose up on his elbows and looked at Keith’s face. He’d done it many times, been caught off guard and knocked to the ground while sparring, but Keith had always stopped and offered him a hand up. There was no remembrance of that in Keith’s face. Not a single flicker of compassion as he raised his blade over Lance and prepared for the killing strike. “No one’s going to miss you, you know.” Keith continued, “We just kept you on the team out of pity.”

“That’s not true,” Lance shot back. He tried to move his leg, his arms, anything to move him away from Keith’s impending blow.  Nothing.

“Even Pidge has always liked me better than you,” Keith went on, his grin showing off his fangs. “You know maybe when you’re gone I’ll get a little piece of that action when Shiro isn’t looking.”

Lance knew it wasn’t Keith. He knew Keith would never try anything with any girl Lance was involved with, especially not Pidge, and even more than that he would do anything behind Shiro’s back. That didn’t stop the words from bringing a snarl to Lance’s lips. A snarl that he willed there himself. He tensed his legs, not enough to move yet but more than he had had moments ago.

Keith leaned down, bringing the blade closer to Lance’s throat. “I’m sure if she slept with you she’d sleep with anyone, right?”

Lance lunged, not even thinking to wonder why Keith had details of his physical relationship with Pidge. He was so angry he regained control of his body enough to take Keith’s feet out from under him and pin him to the ground an elbow at his throat. “Don’t you speak about her like that,” Lance snarled.

“Alright, alright,” Keith rasped against the pressure at his throat, “of course I wouldn’t sleep with Pidge.” Lance loosened his grip very slightly, trying to adjust to reach Keith’s bayard. The Black Paladin took the opportunity and flipped Lance over his head. “

Keith rose and dusted himself off as the Red Paladin went flying, landing face first in a pile of rubble. “She does trust me more than you, you know,” he said slowly as if savoring that fact. 

Lance knocked his head hard on the remnants of a pillar as he landed. He bit his cheek again and the pain was energizing. Suddenly he felt entirely in control of his body. He rose to his knees slowly, marveling at the feeling of control that he had always taken for granted. “I said,” he paused when he felt something in his mouth as if he’d lost a tooth, “don’t talk about her.” He spat to find that it wasn’t a tooth that was dislodged but a small, black device about the size of his thumbnail. A device just like the one on Keith’s neck.

“Oh it’s true,” Keith continued as he leisurely approached Lance from behind. “She tells me all kinds of secrets.”

 Lance stayed on his knees trying to think quickly. That device must have gotten into his mouth from the woman who’d kissed him. . . The woman who he’d left behind with Pidge. It must have jostled loose enough to get him back that small margin of control when her shoe hit his head. Now he had no idea what had been real in the past hour. All he knew is he needed to get Keith back on his side and find the rest of the paladins. Find Pidge. His bayard was still too far away for him to make a lunge for it before Keith approached. He slowly rose to his feet and turned to face the other man. “Oh, yeah?” Lance asked willing a hint of a threat into his voice and hoping Keith (and whatever was controlling him) didn’t see through him.

“So many juicy details,” said Keith with a smirk, “some of them are even about you.”

That gave Lance a moment of pause. Keith saw his hesitation and his grinned widened, “I was the first person to know that _sweet_ little tidbit of information that should have been meant for you.”

“Why should I believe anything you say?” Lance asked. Keith continued to advance but Lance held his ground completely weaponless.

“Believe what you want. She wanted to tell you for weeks, but she didn’t trust you enough.”

Lance was curious. Oh quiznak, he was so curious as to what Pidge could possibly be hiding from him and yet. . .

“You see,” Keith began his mouth widening into a very un-Keith-like, feral grin, “Pidge --”

Lance flexed his fingers and his bayard materialized in his hand. This time it took the form of a rifle rather than a sword. Before Keith could speak more than Pidge’s name Lance had whirled the gun in his hands and slammed the butt of it into the side of Keith’s head. The Black Paladin crumpled to the ground at Lance’s feet. If Pidge had secrets, no matter how badly Lance may want to know them, it was her decision when to reveal them.

He stooped and removed the device from Keith’s neck and pocketed it for Pidge, Hunk and Coran to look at later. He shook Keith’s shoulders, “Alright, Mr. Emo, I’m sorry I hit you but you need to wake up now.” 

“Lance!” He heard a voice from behind him just as Keith began to stir.  He let go of Keith to turn to face Hunk who was running towards them with Shay a few steps behind.

“What happened?” groaned Keith from the ground.

Lance showed them the chip from his pocket, “Mind control, the caused me and Pidge to fight and I lost track of her. Then there was the explosion and Keith came after me.” He searched Shay and Hunk for wounds, “did they get you guys too?”

The couple both turned a vibrant shade of red that would have made Lance’s lion proud. “No,” Hunk started to explain “We were uhh . . . we weren’t here.”

“Right,” said Lance a little too quickly. He surveyed the room, everyone who had been able had vacated somewhere. He hoped they weren’t all in the clutches of whatever forces were at work. His eyes fell on the bodies strewn around the room, not all of them whole. Gods only knew how many of them could have been saved because Lance had been lost in the throes of mind control. “You two look for survivors,” said Lance looking at Hunk and Shay as he extended Keith a hand to help him up, “We’ll try to find the others.”

“Got it,” Hunk answered but Lance was already hauling Keith towards what was left of the hallway where he had last left Pidge.

“I left Shiro with Allura before things went black,” Keith told Lance as they ran.

“Hopefully they’ll have figured out how to get free,” Lance replied. “We need to find everyone we can and come up with a plan. We have to figure out what these people want and stop them before they get away.”

They rounded the corner into the back hallway but they stopped short. Any words or plans Lance might have been formulating died in his throat. Beyond the pile of rubble he had been digging through there was nothing but open air. A giant hole was blasted in the wall letting in the last of the light as the two suns of Argalon descended below the horizon past the lake that the palace overlooked. In any other circumstance it might have been beautiful.

Lance choked back a sob. He didn’t have time to get upset now. He’d wasted enough of it already. Keith clamped a hand around Lance’s shoulder comfortingly though his face had gone pale. “It’ll be alright,” he murmured “we’ll figure it out.”

Lance felt sick to his stomach. Had Pidge died hating him? Had she died thinking he hated her? It was more than he could bear. All of it was more than he could bear. In 5 years things had never been as bad as this. The loss of life had never been this big. Voltron had let this happen on their watch. Lance fell to his knees and vomited over the ledge. When Lance finally rose back to his feet and turned to continue the search Keith looked like he might be sick too. Lance knew they’d both come to the same conclusion. They had failed.  

“Come on,” Keith said stiffly, “we have to keep moving.”

Keep moving where. The bad guys had already won this round. There was no coming back from this, but he followed Keith anyway. The room that had once been completely open was now a maze of rubble and death. They smothered the occasional flame they came across but they found no survivors as they ventured deeper into the wreckage.

Keith, only a few steps ahead of Lance, held up a fist to signal a halt. “What is it?” Lance whispered.

Keith’s ears twitched like he was listening to something. Lance strained to hear whatever sounds Keith’s advanced Galra hearing must be picking up, but he heard nothing. “Voices beyond the next rise,” Keith muttered making a small gesture past the wall of rubble in front of them.

“Friendly voices?” Lance asked softly.

Keith looked contemplative, “Today,” he said, “There’s no telling.”

Lance didn’t find that particularly reassuring but he followed Keith’s lead as the Black Paladin darted across the narrow clearing and behind the base of a fallen pillar. The snaked along the room like that a few more times until Lance could make finally make out the voices himself.

“Let her go,” a female voice was saying. Lance would recognize the lilt of that voice anywhere and the blatant tinge of panic in his friend’s voice made him worry. “Please, take me instead,” Allura pleaded.

“Allura,” came Shiro’s low warning.

Take Allura instead of who? Shiro? Lance chanced a look around the corner but still couldn’t see anything. He rolled to the next possible hiding space without waiting for Keith’s signal. “Lance,” the leader of Voltron hissed through his teeth.

Lance just shot a glare in Keith’s direction. Keith followed. Through the scope of his rifle Lance could make out Allura’s back. Her bayard was lying at her feet, her hands in the air. If she was positioned like that than someone must have a weapon on her. Lance adjusted the scope but the only other thing he could make out was the form of Matt crumpled on the ground, hopefully unconscious rather than dead. There was no way he and Keith would be able to make it all the way there unnoticed. They would fire on Shiro and Allura before he could launch on offensive attack. Only one option then. He slung his rifle over his back, not risking the extra time to will it back into bayard form, and began to climb.

“Lance,” Keith hissed again, “you’re going to get them killed.” Lance ignored him though he swore he could hear Keith’s eyes rolling as he began to follow him up the pile of wreckage. When Lance reached the crest of the pile he stopped dead in his tracks. Keith arrived seconds later and opened his mouth to reprimand the Red Paladin when he too saw the seen before them and clamped his mouth shut in horror.

There were the things Lance had already seen and expected, of course. Allura was still there, bayard at her feet and Shiro at her side, both of them had their hands raised in a placating gesture. Four females stood in a semi-circle around them all with weapons trained on Shiro and Allura. He spied the woman who had been kissing him earlier among them. The memory left a coppery tang in his mouth. Lance took out his rifle and peered through the scope though he knew he couldn’t get to all four before one of them fired on his friends in alarm. Matt lay in a heap in front of Allura, as though he had tried to lunge for something or someone and been shot down. From his vantage point Lance could just make out the subtle rise and fall of his chest. Alive; good. Beyond them in yet another enormous hole in the wall of the palace there was a ship docked and several more females were hauling boxes up the ramp.

The real horror, the thing that stopped Lance dead and made Keith gasp, was the one who stood in the center of it all. Pidge stood there staring blankly ahead. The cut of her dress, the dress that Lance had designed himself, revealed a small black device blinking with green light stuck to her shoulder. Her posture was all wrong, she was standing in a stiff way Lance had never seen before on her body. Her face was completely blank, no trace of the woman Lance loved on any of her features. In her hand there was clutched a gun. Lance willed her to whirl and turn it on one of the enemies, but instead she stood still as a stature aiming it at her own head.

Allura took a hesitant step forward and the sound of the rifles charging filled the air. “Allura,” Shiro snapped sharply. Lance frantically searched for an idea, the perfect place to aim to make sure all four of his friends made it out alive. He found none.

Allura ignored him, “Please,” she begged, “you must take me instead.”

“She’s the one we need,” a gruff looking female said from behind Pidge. Her armor was different from the others. A leader then.

Allura took another step forward and Lance tensed waiting for them to gun his friend down. The hum of the charged rifles continued, but none of the guards moved. The click as Pidge reached up and cocked the pistol aimed at her head was deafening. Lance gulped and charged his own weapon.

“Lance don’t,” Keith whispered in warning.

Lance could only just make out the side of Allura’s face. There were silver tears lining her eyes. “You don’t understand,” she pleaded again staring at Pidge rather than the leader. Pidge’s face remained unchanged. Her finger was unwavering over the trigger. “You can’t take her,” Allura began again, “because she’s pregnant.”

_What?_

The world dropped from under him. Lance wasn’t sure if he was even in his body any more. Everything seemed to turn upside down and then back upright again. The leader woman was saying something but Lance couldn’t hear her over the ringing in his head. He was dizzy, he couldn’t see straight, he adjusted his rifle in his grip.

“Lance,” he barely heard Keith hiss in alarm.

It didn’t matter, Lance decided. Whatever Keith had to say or why Allura knew or why Keith knew as that was probably the secret he’d tried to reveal when he was being mind controlled. None of that mattered, Lance thought, as he took aim and fired.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow guys its been a while! If you're wondering about my life since I last updated: I have started planning my wedding, I have finished no cosplay, I started school again, wrecked my car, broke my glasses, read two book series, saw my favorite musical, and cried over season 8. I'm going to try to update before Tuesday, because I don't want to leave you hanging for too long. I know myself and once Kingdom Hearts 3 is out I probably won't write again until I finish it.   
> As always let me know what you think in the comments. I love hearing from each and every one of you guys! Seeing messages in my inbox legitimately makes my day!  
> \- Blue :)


	11. Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Paladins are all left with wounds both physical and emotional.

HUNK

Coran has set up a triage center in the foyer of the palace. He had sent Shay to find where everyone had fled to while he cleared some rubble and she had returned in just 10 minutes with that information. Hunk tried to disconnect his mind from his body as they searched. They helped the injured back to the foyer; they lay the dead in rows against the walls. 

The rational part of him knew that most everyone has already fled the room – that there were more survivors than dead. Yet he found three already dead for every one person he saved. Others from the coalition had filtered back in and were helping in the search. Romelle sat outside in the hall with friends and family of the missing. Periodically she’d check the rows of bodies for those who matched descriptions. 

She’d lead their friends and family over to identify them and then move them to another part of the palace, an interior garden with only one entrance that was also guarded by coalition members, to grieve. She must have found a store of linens somewhere because as each body was identified, they were covered with a sheet. The sheets were of all different colors. The brightness of them was made grotesque with splotches of blood and the grim background. The sight of it made Hunk think of something he’d learned about Mt. Everest that Hunk had learned on Earth years ago. It was so cold on the mountain that people who died on the hike were often frozen to the ground. They were immovable and the brightly colored hiking gear they wore became fixtures of the trail forever. 

Hunk shook his head to clear it. He tried not to pay attention to those proceedings. Tried not to imagine what he would do if he found a paladin or another of his friends. It wasn’t working. As he deposited someone else in the rows of the dead. He did a quick scan for anyone he knew when his eyes stalled on a familiar brown snout and wolf-like features. 

Romelle was walking by with a stack of sheets in her arms, he stopped her with a touch on the shoulder. “Olia,” he said nodding to wolf-woman who had been such a bold pilot for years in the coalition, “that’s Olia.” 

Romelle’s eyes softened with understanding. She covered Hunk’s hand with her own and gave it a squeeze before she draped a dark orange sheet over Olia’s body. 

Hunk took to wandering through the wreckage. The front end of the ballroom had been almost entirely cleared. He didn’t know how long he’d been looking and not finding anything when Romelle appeared at his side, “Almost everyone has been accounted for,” she told him, “Kalastri kept very detailed records of everyone who attended.”

“Has he been found?” Hunk asked, “Kalastri, I mean.” 

“No,” Romelle shook her head, “nor have the Paladins, or Matt, or any of the servants” 

Now that was something to consider. Even if most of the servants had been towards the back of the hall how could they not have a single one? Where were they? “Keith and Lance went off this way looking for the others,” Hunk informed her gesturing into the maze of rubble. 

“So I suppose you’ll be going that way too?” 

Hunk sighed, “I suppose,” 

They must have looked like a giant mess, Hunk thought to himself as he, Shay and Romelle made their way through the rubble. Shay and Romelle were armed with blasters that had been commandeered from the royal guard. They were all still dressed in their court finery. Shay in jewelry of raw crystals and a long gown of greens and browns that had been worn to tatters. Romelle had made it out a little better, though she hadn’t been hauling rubble as Shay had been. She wore a delicate pink dress with layers of sheer pink fabric billowing out around her. She had tied the skirt up around her knees to keep it from getting in the way and she was streaked in mud and blood in all the places she must have been wiping her hands. Hunk himself had been wearing his deep yellow formal wear he had inherited from the former Yellow Paladin. He wished he’d had time to prepare for battle. At least he’d had his bayard in his pants pocket and hadn’t been left entirely weaponless. After today, maybe he would take to wearing his armor everywhere just in case something terrible like this ever happened again. 

He spotted Lance atop a pile of rubble a distance away with his rifle out. Looking at what? “Stay here,” Hunk told the girls, “I’ll yell if I need you.”

He didn’t stay to hear their protests. When he was several years ahead he finally rounded a bend to see what Lance had been staring down to. The sight made his gut clench. There were four females with guns trained on Shiro and Allura who both held their hands up in surrender. Pidge stood stiffly in the center, one of the mind-controlling chips stuck to the place where her shoulder met her neck and a gun in her hand pressed against her temple. Her eyes stared vacantly ahead of her and her body was completely rigid. In front of her, as if he were knocked out trying to reach his sister, Matt lay crumpled in a heap. Beyond them, painted red in the glow of the twin setting suns of Argalon, sat a cargo ship being loaded by several other females all wearing serving uniforms. An Argalonian woman in armor more highly decorated than the four guards stood apart from the scene, her were arms crossed and there was a smug look on her face. 

Hunk looked up to the crest where he’d seen Lance and found Keith now there as well. He tried to catch the eye of one of them, but both of their eyes were fixed on Pidge. He was distracted by his efforts by the sound of Allura’s voice. He turned his attention to the Princess and inadvertently caught the eye of Shiro who stood between them. The former Black Paladin did nothing to indicate he had noticed Hunk crouched behind the pile of rubble to his far left except but to slightly, almost imperceptibly raise his eyebrows. Hunk flicked his eyes towards Lance and Keith, trying to communicate to Shiro that they were there. He made no gesture to indicate his understanding. 

“You can’t take her,” Allura was saying, “because she’s pregnant.” 

A wave of shock crashed over him making him feel slightly nauseated (but then again so did everything), but he quickly regained control of his thoughts. He must not have been the only one not to know because Shiro whipped his head towards Allura so fast Hunk could hear the crack of his joints. He had turned his face turned towards the Princess and away from Hunk but he could imagine the look of surprise there. It was probably mirrored on his own face. 

The Argalonian woman, the one who was the obvious leader, smirked at Allura’s plea. “Well, her delicate condition aside, I still need her,” she sneered. “Pregnant doesn’t stop her from providing the help I need. . . In fact, it didn’t stop her from causing all this glorious mayhem.” She gestured at the wreckage around them all. 

“Oh, Pidge,” Allura breathed, who must have been coming to the same conclusion as Hunk. Pidge, sweet, apparently pregnant, Pidge under the control of someone else had caused this damage that had left so many people injured and dead. 

Unbidden he shifted his glance up to Lance. The Red Paladin was reeling and had turned an unflattering shade of green. He didn’t appear to have heard the woman, too caught up in Allura’s revelation. So he didn’t know? That surprised Hunk. Even if Lance wasn’t the father – and he had to be the father, right? – Hunk would have expected that Lance would’ve been the first person Pidge went to for comfort and advice. They were best friends, probably the closest of any two paladins. Something here wasn’t adding up. Unless. . . and Hunk hated himself for thinking it, but what if Lance was surprised because he wasn’t the father – knew he wasn’t the father and had just found out his girlfriend was pregnant with someone else’s child. 

Keith was looking frantic, shaking Lance in an effort to get his attention. He looked frantic, sure, but he did not look surprised. That was also surprising. Keith, god love him, was not usually the first Paladin to know any interesting gossip. In fact, he was usually the last. Lance shook Keith off him with a damning calm. He righted his rifle and stared through the scope. Keith looked as though he was going to tackle Lance, but thought better of it in case he made him inadvertently shoot an ally. Hunk couldn’t tell who Lance was aiming at, couldn’t see who he could possibly be aiming at that wouldn’t get their four surrounded friends killed. 

The woman opened her mouth in a terrible grin as if she were about to taunt his friends even more, but a shot rang out. Lance had fired. The woman dropped to the ground to in an attempt to avoid being hit, but it was not at her that the shot was aimed. 

With a shriek that might have torn Hunk’s heart out had his adrenaline not been so high, Pidge crumpled to the ground in a burst of blood.

That was when all hell broke loose. “Pidge!”  Hunk felt his friend’ name fly out of his mouth at the same time it was shouted by both Shiro and Allura. Two of the guards whirled to face him, finally noticing his presence. Shiro and Allura both whirled on the guards closest to them immediately launching into battle. 

“Are you crazy? You could have killed her!” he heard Keith shout and glanced over to see him skidding down the pile of rubble towards them, blade in hand. He didn’t even have time to spare Pidge, now bleeding on the ground, more than a glance as he charged his weapon and began firing on the guards. He sensed, more than saw, Lance continued to fire on enemies from his vantage points as the women scurrying around rushing to finish loading whatever was in those crates onto their ship. 

A few seconds later Lance was skidding down the rubble after Keith. “Well I didn’t, did I?” he said in a tone more venomous than he was used to hearing from the Red Paladin. 

“Lance—“ Allura started, a tone of reprimand in her voice. 

“I don’t think you want to start with me right now, Princess,” He snapped even as he shot down an enemy combatant that had been approaching her from behind. 

“I’m not,” said Shiro battling off three of the women dressed as servers with his robotic arm, “entirely sure this is the best time to be discussing these things.” 

Leave it to Shiro to be the mediator in the middle of a battle, thought Hunk as he threw himself into the fighting

PIDGE

Pidge woke up to pain. Well, she didn’t wake up. She had stood up to follow Liora and she blinked. When she opened her eyes it was to reveal a world of noise and chaos and pain. Her arm spasmed and a handgun she hadn’t known she’d been holding flew from her grasp as white-hot pain seared its way through her right shoulder.  She pressed her opposite hand to the wound as she fell to the ground. Her mind seemed incapable of doing anything but running through the necessary first aid. Her hand found a gap where the fleshy bit of her shoulder above her collar bone should have been and her stomach lurched both in pain and disgust.

Her fingers came away red with blood, but it wasn’t spurting out with every rapid beat of her heart, which, she supposed, was a good thing.  Whoever had shot her – oh god someone had  _ shot her _ \-- had missed any major arteries. She was hurt, she was in pain, but she wasn’t going to die. It’s not like she hadn’t been shot before. She’d been shot before. Yet this was her first time having been shot without her armor, which usually took the brunt of the damage.

“Pidge!” she heard someone, maybe multiple people shriek.

“Are you crazy? You could have killed her!” Someone else shouted. A male someone, but she couldn’t tell who. Everything seemed to be happening both too slowly and quickly for her to understand any of it. 

Pidge was rather under the impression that she was going into shock. It seemed like a rational response. Someone had shot her after all. She lay with her cheek pressed flat against the ground. People’s feet rushed by and she recognized Allura’s silver, heeled sandals and Shiro’s huge black dress shoes. People, women with guns like Liora, were falling to the ground. Pidge hoped that it was someone different than whoever shot her. Obviously, that guy had bad aim. 

People were yelling and screaming. Through the commotion, Pidge saw another human lying flat against the ground. Matt, with blood running from his temple, was unconscious on the ground. Unconscious, she knew, because even in her weakened state she could see the faint rising and falling of his chest. Something about seeing him like that infuriated her. She needed to do something. She needed to get her brother out of this place before he really got hurt. He could – hell either of them could be trampled or caught in the crossfire of the battle raging above their heads. 

She tried to rise but putting weight on her injured hand sent her crying out in pain and landing face first back on the ground. She gritted her teeth and used her good arm to hoist herself up. “Matt,” she called her to voice a rasp in her throat. Matt did not stir. 

She made her way slowly towards her brother, dragging herself towards him with the elbow of her good arm. “Matt?” She tried again her voice coming easier this time. She shook him by the shoulder but he still did not respond. She struck him across the face with her good arm. He sat bolt upright. 

“What was that for?” He asked groggily before his eyes landed on the gory wound in her shoulder. “What the hell?” 

“Yeah, imagine how I feel,” Pidge grumbled scooting herself closer to him. 

Matt pulled the tie from his neck and tied it under her arm and over her wound in an effort to staunch the bleeding. “You look bad,” he informed her flatly as he removed his jacket and fashioned a sling for her out of it. 

“Doesn’t hurt,” she mumbled as he worked, 

He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips together but didn’t reply. He looked past her taking in the scene of the battle and searching for their best route of escape. A sharp voice cut through the fog in Pidge’s head. “I don’t think you want to start with me right now, Princess,” said Lance in a tone so sharp it could have cut her. Lance. She’d recognize Lance’s voice anywhere though his tone was unfamiliar to her. Was he still angry from their fight earlier? Maybe she would be too if it hadn’t been for getting shot, but the whole event had made her feel rather forgiving toward her boyfriend. 

“I’m not entirely sure this is the best time to be discussing these things,” said a winded voice that had to be Shiro. 

Pidge tried to look up and track the voices but everything seemed blurred. She squinted trying to focus her eyes but saw only swirls of color. She watched a blur of red pass by, “Lance” she called out after it but it either wasn’t him or he didn’t hear her. 

“Shh, Katie come on,” hissed Matt pulling her up by her elbow. Pain shot through her whole body in protest, but she let him haul her to her feet. Her head spun, made only worse by her blurred vision, as she tried to take a step.  Matt swore colorfully under his breath and scooped her into his arms in a way he hadn’t done since she was about 6 years old. 

A yellow blob stopped in front of them and Pidge recognized Hunk’s voice as he informed them that Shay and Romelle were around the corner. Matt thank him and took off in the direction the yellow blob had indicated. Matt’s running was unsettling Pidge. Her head kept knocking into his shoulder and her arm had gone numb from her newly bound wound to her fingertips. When her brother rounded a corner and skidded to a stop, the world spun so violently she thought she might puke on Matt – another thing she hadn’t done since she was 6 years old. She managed to swallow down the bile as he laid her gently against a pile of rubble just high enough to support her back.

The second they had rounded the corner, Shay and Romelle shaped blobs had discarded weapons that she didn’t recognize and swarmed them. They hovered closely behind Matt asking questions too rapidly for her to comprehend as he set her down and peered into her face.

She could see him mouthing words but couldn’t seem to hear him over the ringing in her head. She tried her best to concentrate on his face and he came into slightly better focus. “Katie? Katie? Can you tell me what happened to you?” He was saying.

“Someone shot me,” Pidge told him.

“I did gather that,” Matt said without humor. He leaned forward and inspected her face closely, he pushed back several stray hairs that had come free of her headband. She should have had Lance braid her hair instead. Lance always braided her hair before battle and it kept her hair from being a nuisance.

Matt’s mouth was moving again but she couldn’t decide why that would be important. Where was Lance and why hadn’t he braided her hair?  Matt grabbed her jaw, squishing her cheeks in his fingers, and forced her to look at him. “Katie I need to you to listen to me,” he said firmly, but not unkindly. He was holding a finger in front of her face and moving it around in a way that, to her, seemed meaningless.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Corporal, sir,” She answered, she tried to salute but the sling on her right arm caused it to turn into an awkward wriggle.

“She has a concussion,” Matt explained to the two girls behind him.

“And a gunshot wound,” Pidge supplied helpfully and then giggled at her joke.

Matt ignored her. He licked his thumb and wiped grime from her face. His thumb came away red. He started talking to Shay and Romelle. Pidge felt as though some piece of important information was evading her. Something she needed to tell someone. She tried to grasp at it but it was like sand running through her fingers. Her head throbbed painfully as if the information was trying to beat its way out of her. Her arm remained numb.

“Can you two take her back to Coran?” Matt was saying when her hearing managed to turn back on.

“You’re hurt too,” Shay told him, “I’ll go to the others, you and Romelle take Pidge back.”

Romelle opened her mouth as if to say something, but the information Pidge had been digging for in her head finally sprang back up. “I’m pregnant,” she blurted to the group at large.

They all turned to stare at her, mild surprise and interest on Shay’s face, utter confusion on Romelle’s, and a mixture of amusement and frustration on Matt’s. She knew she wasn’t thinking straight, but somehow that didn’t seem like the reaction she was expecting from Matt.

“Right, and I’m the pope,” He told her as he scooped her back into his arms. He turned towards Shay, “stay out of sight until you have a good scope of the situation. Pidge was the one they wanted so hopefully it’s deescalated by now. Tell the paladins where we went.”

Shay nodded but if she bade them farewell Pidge didn’t notice. “I’m pregnant,” said Pidge again flummoxed that they did not appear to be reacting at all to the information.

“Yes, yes,” said Romelle patting Pidge’s good arm, “congratulations.”

She couldn’t see Matt’s face, but she saw his head towards Romelle and the concerned glance the Altean girl shared with him. Shouldn’t they be taking action? What happened to concussed pregnant women? She wondered. What happened to shot pregnant women?

Romelle and Matt started speaking with each other, leaving her and her revelations out of the conversation. They exchanged stories of what had happened since they had each last seen the other but Pidge couldn’t find it within herself to understand the words. The numbness in her shoulder was finally subsiding, but the pain did nothing to offer her clarity. In fact, it seemed to be doing the opposite. With every hurried step that Matt took, her shoulder was jostled and sharp, blinding pain was sent in shocks down her body sending her deeper and deeper into a hazy stupor.

There was something she was supposed to remember. What was it again? But by the time they were into the foyer of the castle and she was being set on a cot, she had forgotten that she was supposed to be remembering anything at all. Time passed. She couldn’t keep track of how much. Every once in a while someone would come and fuss over her. Someone made sure the makeshift bandages on her arm still held. Someone else came to stare into her eyes and look at something, maybe cuts, on her head. Someone else wrapped her in a blanket. Coran came and told her he’d get her to a healing pod soon. There was some reason she couldn’t get in a healing pod. Her mind couldn’t seem to grasp at it though. She just nodded blankly at him. 

Time didn’t start moving regularly again until she spotted Allura as the princess rounded the corner into the foyer-turned-triage-center. Her dress was torn and splattered with blood and she was walking with a slight limp, but she seemed otherwise unharmed. Pidge tried to stand to greet her but was left clutching a nearby collum when the world spun too quickly for her to move forward. 

Allura reached her side and helped prop her up by an elbow, “Pidge, are you alright?” Pidge started to nod but the motion made her even dizzier. She didn’t feel particularly inclined to be sick all over Allura’s already ruined shoes. “Where’s Matt?” Allura asked

“Getting looked at,” said Pidge, gesturing without looking at the spot across the room where someone tended to the gash in her brother’s head. 

Pidge managed to finally focus on Allura’s face. The princess looked stricken, “Look, Pidge, I am so sorry--” 

Pidge didn’t hear what Pidge was so sorry about because at that moment a loud crash echoed from the entrance to the great hall. “Lance!” Keith said sharply. 

At the sound of her boyfriend’s name, Pidge craned her neck to see what the commotion about. 

“Let me see her!” Lance exclaimed, “Where is she?” 

When they came into view both Hunk and Keith were attempting to restrain Lance as he tried to storm into the foyer. “Lance, maybe now isn’t the time,” Hunk suggested as gently as possible for someone physically restraining another person. 

“I don’t care,” Lance said through gritted teeth, “I need to see her.”

“Lance. . .” started Shiro, who had been in conversation with a coalition leader, he turned to head towards the three boys as though he’d stop Lance too. 

Allura was trying to get Pidge’s attention, but she only had eyes for Lance. “Lance,” she called out to him. 

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her. She hadn’t seen herself but knew she must have looked pretty bad judging from the pale shade of green Lance turned. He hesitated for only a moment before he pushed past Keith and Hunk and ran to her. He whisked Allura out of the way and embraced Pidge tightly. “Katie,” he said as if reassuring himself that it was her in front of him. 

She let out a sharp hiss as his hug sent a sharp pain through her wound. He held her at arm's length and inspected her. He turned even paler when his eyes fell on the gunshot wound on her shoulder. Then he had a hand on each of her cheeks and was kissing her with more force than she’d ever been kissed before. She felt something wet on her face and wondered if the cut on her head had started bleeding again before she realized they were Lance’s tears. “Katie, I’m so sorry,” he told her thickly before kissing her again, “I’m sorry for everything I said and I’m sorry I shot you.”

“You. . . shot me?” 

“Yes and I’m sorry, but. . .” he said pulling back to look in her eyes again. His expression had gone from frantic and worried to something else. Something serious and reserved and maybe a little angry. 

Was he still angry with her over the fight they’d had? 

“Lance, maybe now isn’t --” Allura started but was cut off by a glare from Lance. The princess closed her mouth with a snap. 

Something wasn’t right. 

“But, Katie,” Lance started again, “I know”

He knew? He knew what? The world was swaying slightly, almost as if she were on a cruise ship. 

He must have read her confusion on her face because he repeated himself, “I know.” 

Oh. The world really did seem to tilt. He found out. He found out from someone other than her. 

He knew. 

_ He knew. _

The last thing she saw before the world went completely upside down was the look on Lance’s face. Hurt and mistrust and angst were all plainly written there and seeing it hurt more than her head or her shoulder. Lance lunged for her, but he was too late. 

She hit the ground and everything went black. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first chapter in forever without a Lance POV and I miss it already. 
> 
> You guys, I'm not very cool in real life but your comments and all the love you give this story make me feel like the coolest person ever.   
> You can't know how much the comments and your support and your love has meant to me and I was especially feeling it after the last chapter.   
> I hope you enjoyed reading this! If you'd like to talk more about this fic or Plance in general or if you want to see my lame cosplays reach out to me on instagram where I go by the same name (blueolympus) I'd really love to hear from you!  
> I don't even know what to say. I'm honestly blown away by the support you all have given me and all I can say is thank you.   
> Much love!  
> -Blue


	12. Come Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The paladins rush to help everyone with their injuries, but Pidge is having an entirely different experience

LANCE

Lance had no idea what his life had come too. He lunged to catch Pidge as she fell to the ground, but he was too slow. She hit the ground will a dull thud. “Katie,” he shouted and scooped her into his arms. “Someone help!” His words were all but lost amid the shouts and groans that chorused throughout the foyer.

He glanced around frantically, he caught sight of Allura and Romelle speaking to Matt some distance away. Matt, a look of utter rage on his face had started rushing towards him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered what it was that the girls had told him to make him so mad, surely not the Pidge was pregnant. Surely they’d have let Pidge tell him herself, right?

Matt didn’t stop when Lance would have expected him too. Instead, he plowed straight into him, almost knock Lance, and Pidge with him in the ground. “What the hell?” Lance asked incredulously.

“What the hell?” Matt snarled back. “What the hell did you do to my sister?”

“I—” Lance glanced to Allura who was looking just as stunned as he felt.

“Give her to me,” Matt demanded, grabbing at Pidge’s waist and trying to pull her limp form from Lance’s grasp. “You shouldn’t be anywhere near her.”

Lance resisted, pulling away from his girlfriend’s brother. It had been only a couple hours ago that Matt had called Lance a good man trusted him to take care of Pidge. Obviously, considering her current state, he hadn’t done a great job. “Are you crazy?” Lance said trying and failing to back out of Matt’s reach, “you’re going to hurt her!”

Matt laughed mirthlessly, “ _I’m_ going to hurt her? You fucking shot her.”

Oh. That’s what this was about. “Like you were being so much help when you were out cold,” Lance snapped back.

Suddenly Keith and Shiro were between he and Matt. Shiro was holding Matt back but he must have been incredibly angry. He’d never known Matt to do anything to tarnish Shiro’s view of him, but he was thrashing against the older man now gripping at Katie’s still bare feet.

“Hey!” Keith interjected “She’s not a rag doll, you can’t play tug of war with her,” Keith said with scorn in his voice.

Lance let Keith pull Katie from his grasp and sat back heavily on the cot behind him. Matt was still thrashing against Shiro, screaming profanities aimed at Lance. If this was how he was reacting now, Lance didn’t want to be around when he found out Pidge was pregnant. Another wave of nausea rolled over him just as it did every time he thought about it. _Ay Dios mio,_ his girlfriend was pregnant. He ran a hand over his face, if the terrorist group they were up against didn’t kill him, his abuelita certainly would.

“Stop!” Came Shiro’s commanding voice. Everyone stopped. Shiro didn’t raise his voice often — he usually didn’t need to. “Lance saved Pidge,” He said, his voice still firm but back to a normal volume.

“But he shot her,” Matt protested weakly.

“He shot the mind control device off of her,” Shiro continued. “And she obviously needs medical attention that she is not getting because _you,_ ” he punctuated the word with slight shake of Matt’s shoulders, “are throwing a fit.”

All of the color seemed to drain from Matt’s face. He didn’t speak.

“So if you don’t mind, we will ensure Pidge gets the care she needs.” Shiro told him coldly enough that Lance started to feel a little sorry for Matt. “Report to Coran and find some way to help here, you're of no use sitting around worrying about your sister.”

Matt hesitated only a second before doing as he was told.

“Lance, Keith, Allura take Pidge to the ship.” Shiro said then looked around at the rest of the room that still stood stopped, staring at the drama that was unfolding, “the rest of you get back to work.”

Everyone scrambled to do as Shiro bid. Someone had a grip on Lance’s elbow and was hauling him to his feet. “Come on, Lance,” said Allura. They followed behind Keith, as he made his way out of the palace and toward the Castle of Lions sitting across the courtyard.  He was struck by how normal the night looked when the palace was left behind. The moons had risen fully and shined a silvery light across the gardens. Birds flew overhead and the Castle of Lions stood ahead of them, just as grand and imposing as always.

The spies had gotten away. Keith had wanted to pursue them, but they had seen their ship enter hyperspace and besides would be unable to form Voltron with Pidge in the condition she was in.  So they had gotten away with several crates that contained God only knew what and they had nowhere to look for information. No living members of the insurgent group had been left behind that they could question and Kalastri, who seemed to have had some sort of knowledge, had disappeared without a trace. Lance had seen him crushed by a pillar, or thought he had anyway, and yet the entire castle had be scoured for the king with no trace of him to be found. All of those things would have been bad enough on their own. But combined with the fact his girlfriend was injured, this crazy, terrorist group was trying to kidnap and enslave her, _and_ she was pregnant with his child that she had neglected to tell him about – that was enough to make Lance want to join her in unconsciousness.

Lance felt as if he were panicking so much on the inside that it couldn’t seem to come out anymore. Some part of him was aware that ordinarily he would be swarming around Pidge ensuring she was free from danger, that she was okay, that her fainting was not the sign of some deeper problem – yet somehow he couldn’t muster energy. He had spent everything he had inside himself. Between fighting with her and searching for her and finding her and almost losing her and finding out secrets about her and having to hurt her to save her and fighting with her brother. . . it was all too much. There was nothing else left.

Ahead of him, Allura and Keith were conversing quietly. He might’ve shouted at them, or at least done something to make them feel guilty for knowing the secret before him, but it didn’t seem worth it.   Still, he wondered what they were being so quiet about. Probably about him. Allura kept shooting furtive looks back toward him. She was either worried about him or worried about what he was going to do. She continued murmuring to Keith. It didn’t really surprise him. People tended to talk about people who shot their girlfriends.

They’d entered the foyer of the Castle of Lions. It was eerily quiet compared to the din of the palace at their backs. The castle was large even for the eight of them that lived on it full time, but with just the four of them in the dim entryway, it seemed massive. Lance assumed they’d take Pidge to the private medical bay. Soon enough the main one would be filled with the most urgent cases from the attack. The ones that had any possibility of being saved, anyway. He assumed correct because Keith turned right instead of staying straight on the path toward the center of the ship.

They weren’t running exactly, but they were certainly hurrying. Allura’s shoes were making a rapid _click click click_ as the made their way through the labyrinthine corridors. She gripped the hand on Pidge’s unbandaged side, keeping pace with Keith, who was still carrying Pidge in his arms like a child, as they rushed down the hallway. It was hard for Lance to associate the hand that Allura was holding with the hand of Katie, his girlfriend.

The hand was shaped like hers, colored like hers. Even the broken and dirty fingernails and scratched skin were in line with how Katie’s hands normally looked. Yet the life that he usually saw there, all the things that made her who she was that he could recognize no matter what shape she took or whether she was sick or sleeping, that _spark_ seemed to be gone from her. That feeling of terrible non-recognition was the thing that snapped the panic back into him. He felt as if he was at the edge of a rubber band that had been pulled nearly to the point of breaking and was now bouncing back to his former shape.

Keith said something to Allura too low for Lance to hear. Before Lance could ask what was happening they had booth taken off at a dead sprint. Lance stood stunned for a moment before taking off after them. He’d have thought it would be easy to catch up to Keith considering he was carrying a whole extra person but they had passed through three different hallways before he caught up to him He spired Allura rounding a corner ahead of the, probably to ready the med bay for them.

“What is happening?” Lance demanded harshly.

He regretted his tone a little when he saw the expression on Keith’s face when he turned towards him. He looked just as, if not more, paniced as Lance felt. His heart lurched, “Keith, what happened? “

Keith looked stricken, “I didn’t notice, I wasn’t paying enough attention, I wasn’t fast enough, I—“ He stopped, too winded form his continued running.

“Just tell me,” Lance said feeling guilty for being irritated with Keith when he was obviously so distressed.

They were rounding the last corner.  At the end of the hall Lance could see the open door to the private med bay, Allura rushing around inside. Keith took a gasping breath, “Allura felt. . . there. . . She doesn’t have a pulse.”

PIDGE

Pidge was somewhere and yet simultaneously nowhere. She had the sense in the back of her mind of chaos yet there was nothing but darkness and silence around her. She couldn’t seem to remember what was happening or how she had gotten to this strange place. “Hello?” She called and the noise echoed back to her 100 fold ending in a loud ringing that caused her to clutch her ears.

She took a step forward and the scenery shifted. Trees and buildings and other scenery sped past in a blur as if she were on a very fast train. It deposited her in a clearing that looked like it could have been the Californian redwood forest. The wind rustled the leaves but she did not feel the breeze against her skin or in her hair. Distantly a bird sang.

“Is anyone here?” Pidge asked, bracing herself for the loud reverberation, but it did not come. Neither came any response. “Lance?”

Before she had even finished calling his name he had appeared in front of her just far enough away that she couldn’t touch him. He grinned, “Hey Katie.”

He was dressed plainly, in white linen pants and shirt with bare feet. When she looked down she saw that she was wearing the same outfit. “Where are we?” She asked him.

“Hm?” He looked around, hooking his thumbs in the pocket of his pants. “I dunno, you brought us here.”

“I did?” She looked around, “but is it real?”

Lance shrugged, “is anything?”

Pidge wasn’t sure how to answer that. She looked around the clearing.  Through a few trees she could see a small camp set up. She recognized that campsite immediately. Her parents had brought her and Matt here one summer when she had been about 5 years old. When she turned back to Lance a Galra ship had appeared behind him. The bird had stopped chirping and the wind halted.

“When were you going to tell me?” Lance asked not addressing the ship or sudden silence at all.

“After the ball, I swear.” Pidge told him, “I just didn’t want to ruin your night.”

“Consider it ruined,” he said and spread his arms wide to reveal blood spreading across his white close. At her startled expression he chuckled, “Don’t worry. It’s your blood, not mine.”

“What is going on?” Pidge demanded. She spun around in a circle looking for some way to escape this strange place, but there was none.

“You have to choose,” he explained as if it made all of the sense in the world. He jerked his chin toward the ship behind him, “Go on in.”

Still confused and concerned, Pidge did as she was bid leaving that strange and bloody version of Lance behind her. Lights flicked on in a long corridor as she entered and the door sealed behind her. “Is there anyone here?” She asked again.

Several seconds went by without an answer. She took a step forward and suddenly there was a door on either side of her. “Choose,” said a voice neither male nor female that boomed from somewhere overhead.

Through the door on her left she could see herself, but an older version maybe 25. The fake Pidge was wearing a lab coat with a Garrison ID badge clipped to it. From what Pidge could see she was standing in the kitchen of a well furnished apartment. She was leaning against the counter drinking a cup of coffee and gazing out a floor to ceiling window that revealed the mountainous desert landscape. Behind her on the refrigerator that revealed a photo of the entire team looking safe and happy. A few postcards also decorated it, one from Los Angeles, another from A’opo, and one from Veradero beach and the one that caught her eye the most from Veradero Beach. Without looking to the door on the other side she stepped into the room to get a better look. As soon as she crossed the threshold she became that other Pidge. As if the Pidge who she had been dissolved and rematerialized inside the version of her drinking coffee in her kitchen.

She set the mug down and whirled to face the fridge, pulling the postcard off. The magnet that had been holding it (a small, plastic Voltron) clattered to the floor. _Playa Veradero_ was emblazoned across the front of the card in bright orange letters that contrasted prettily with the blue green of the ocean. Pidge turned the card over to read what was written.

_Katie,_

_It’s been a while. I know you’re busy with work, and the work you do is important, but I can’t help missing seeing you every day. I know things ended weird between us, but now we’re settled back on Earth and I’m at this place that I wanted to show you so badly. . . I don’t know. Even though we’re far apart I just want you to know you’re still one of my best friends. I’ll see you at Christmas, Hunk is hosting this year so at least we know the food will be great!_

_See you around,_

_L.M._

Pidge let the card fall to the counter. In this universe she and Lance were broken up? She inspected the photograph still on the fridge. They were all there smiling at the camera but she and Lance were about as far as they could be from each other. Shiro, Keith, Hunk and Allura all stood between them as if a barrier of awkwardness. This couldn’t be right. She spied a desk in living room and ran towards it Looking for some evidence that she and Lance were still in love. 

Instead she found another postcard, this one had a picture of a cactus and said simply _Greetings from Santa Fe_. The back had a much smaller note than the last.

_Hey Lance,_

_I won’t be seeing you at Hunk’s for Christmas. We’re pretty close to a major breakthrough and I can’t get away from the lab. Eat some peanut butter cookies for me, okay?_

_Best regards,_

_Katie Holt_

Best regards?  Had she really signed a note she was mailing to Lance as ‘best regards?’ That was basically the least sexy or romantic valediction in the history of valedictions. Another run through the apartment turned up no more evidence of Lance. There were photos, but none with Lance in them. There were no more post cards, no more notes, nothing but a single postcard to indicate that Lance had ever been important to her. Pidge stopped and took a sip of the coffee she had abandoned on the kitchen island. She spat it out immediately. On top of all of this she had started drinking black coffee too? It was like she didn’t know herself.

She was torn from her frantic thoughts by the sound of a baby crying. The baby! She had seen no sign of a child nor had she or Lance mentioned on in the notes. So where was the crying coming from? She headed toward the still open front door. The hall outside was still there. The doorway across it was opened to reveal what looked like a hospital room. She could hear the faint crying and a murmur of voices coming from within.

“Choose” came the disembodied voice from before.

Pidge ran across the hall, shifting back into her normal self at the threshold before dissolving again and opening her eyes in a hospital bed in the other room. Lance was across the room from her leaning into a bassinet.

“Hi there, little Camila,” he cooed as he scooped a baby out of the basinet, “you don’t have to cry, Papa is here.”

Pidge’s heart absolutely melted. Something about seeing him holding a baby, _their baby,_ like that was amazing to her. He looked up at her and grinned, “Can you believe we made this?”

Pidge laughed, choking down tears, “I seem to recall doing most of the work.”

He strode over and planted a kiss on her forehead, “and you did excellent, my love.”

This was the choice. Hands down this had to be the choice. This wasn’t even real and Pidge felt happier than she had ever been in her whole life. She could still get those things the other Pidge had, the great apartment and the great job, but she could do it with the love of her life and her child too. She could have it all.

Allura slipped into the room almost soundlessly. She sent a smile towards Pidge but it did not reach her eyes. “What’s wrong?” asked Pidge straightening in bed.

“Lance?” Allura said without responding to Pidge.

Lance gave Pidge a reassuring pat on her knees, nestled the baby firmly into her arms, and rose to meet the princess at the doorway. They conversed in quiet tones that Pidge could not make out for a few moments before Lance returned to the bed. Allura slipped out of the door as quietly as she had come in. “I gotta go out for a bit,” he told her gently.

“Did something happen?”

“Yeah, we’re just going to take the lions out and take care of a few things,” he said trying to keep his tone even. Pidge could tell something was going very, very wrong. He ran his hand backwards through his hair, “they finished it,” he admitted.

“What?” she gasped. Somehow in the memories of the Pidge that she was inhabiting she knew that ‘it’ was a world destroying weapon built by the spies they had been chasing. She moved to sit up, careful of Camila who was sleeping soundly in her arms, “I’ll come with you, we’ll need Voltron.”

As she tried to stand a splitting pain when through her and she collapsed back against the pillows. “You’re in no condition to fight,” Lance told her. “You need to rest and someone needs to stay with our girl. Don’t worry. We have this.”

“Come back?” Pidge said barely more than a whisper.

Lance laughed softly and kissed her, “Of course I’ll come back.” She tried not to cry for fear of waking the baby as she watched him leave.

He didn’t come back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This one took me a while so I'm sorry about that. What got me back in the groove was actually starting a post season 8 fic I've had an idea for for a while so check that out if you're up for it! Let me know what you think below.   
> Much love  
> -Blue


	13. Being Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Pidge had never been able to imagine anything worse than losing each other. Until they did.

PIDGE

Pidge blinked and found herself outside in a park of some sort standing between Shiro and Matt at the front of a crowd of people.  A bugle was playing the sound of “Taps,” though it wasn’t sunset. Only a moment she had been waiting for Lance to return. She must have phased into the future of that reality.  She tried to settle into this version of herself and let this Pidge’s thoughts flow over her, she regretted it instantly. As deep as her joy had been in the last version of herself this one was just as sorrowful. The wave of anger and grief and regret that washed over her were so strong that she couldn’t piece together what the thoughts were. That is, until she looked ahead of her. A monument that she had never seen before stood in the park that depicting Voltron about to take off. 

On either side of monument stood dozens of armed Garrison cadets in full dress. In front of them all stood four figures, Lance, Keith’s, and Hunk’s mothers all wore black, Coran wore pink. They were each being handed a folded flag. Realization seemed to hit Pidge like a ton of bricks. “They’re dead?” she whispered without meaning to say it out loud. 

Shiro looked at her and there were tears streaming down his face. She’d never seen Shiro cry before. “Yes, Pidge.” 

“Where’s Cami?” asked Pidge her voice taking a frantic tone, but not rising so high as to attract attention from the memorial attendees. Matt gripped her hand from her other side, “Pidge, you left her with mom, don’t you remember? Are you okay?” 

“Okay?” She pulled her hand from his grasp violently, “of course I’m not okay! Look where we are!” 

“Shh, Pidge come on,” one of them murmured though Pidge couldn’t make out which. A hand gripped her shoulder and steered her towards a copse of trees to the side of the service. 

She collapsed onto a tree trunk and put her head in her hands. She remembered now. Somehow she remembered even though she hadn’t experienced it. Lying in bed holding her sleeping baby and Coran and Shiro coming in. Shiro had removed Cami from her arms and given her to a nurse who promptly left the room. They told her what had happened and she had screamed. She had screamed and she had raged against the body that still wouldn’t allow her to stand up. Raged against the complications that had forced her into an operation that kept her in bed. The she had sobbed. She’d sobbed and sobbed while different people came in and tried to console her. The last paladin. 

Then she remembered a week later, when she was able to get up again and she had been forced to take green and fly Shiro to the black lion again so that he could link with her again. It took a while but eventually it worked. She had turned off her communicator so that she wouldn’t have to hear Shiro’s sobs as he took the pilot’s seat his boyfriend had died in. Together, silently they towed the remaining three lions back to earth. And now, now she had lived for two weeks in a world without Allura’s wisdom, or Keith’s leadership, or Hunk’s smile, or Lance. . . Lance. “It’s all my fault,” she whispered without looking up. 

“Pidge—“ Matt broke off at a loss for words. 

“No, you can’t tell me it’s not my fault!” she shouted. “If we had had Voltron—“

“For all we know the same thing would have happened and Cami would have been an orphan,” Shiro supplied. “Pidge it hurts, believe me, when I say I know how much it hurts. But the bad guys are still coming. They have a weapon that can destroy planets and defeat— ” his voice cracked on that word “defeat the paladins of Voltron. We have to do something.” 

Matt started at that, “you’re going to try to find new paladins?” 

The scene shifted around Pidge again before she could hear the reply and she found herself in her armor standing in front of the lions. A dozen of potential paladins handpicked by her and Shiro were waiting behind her. She knew she should be hopeful. Forming Voltron again was their only chance of standing against that weapon. If she was being honest with herself she would have given up, let someone else save the universe for a change. But Cami kept her going. She wanted her and Lance’s child to have a chance to grow up even if it meant sacrificing herself. After all, Cami was the only piece of Lance that was left. 

Coran had tried. He had sat in each of the lions in turn trying to connect with them, but it didn’t happen. Next came Romelle, and blue roared nearly the second she sat in the cockpit. She was crying silently when she stepped off the ramp and took her place beside Pidge and Shiro. It was a little longer, when Shay entered yellow’s cockpit before the lion roared. 

Yellow and blue had each connected on the second try, but the same did not happen for red. Every potential paladin sat in the cockpit and not once did a spark of life enter the red lion’s eyes. It seemed fitting to Pidge. She couldn’t think of anyone who could take Lance’s place. Wordlessly she walked up the ramp into red’s cargo hold and through into the cockpit. She just wanted to be close to Lance. She curled up in the seat pretending that she could feel his arms wrapped around her. She sat bolt upright when for a second she really did. Then with a roar the red lion’s interface kicked on and the feeling of Lance’s presence was gone. 

Everyone took another turn. This time trying to connect with the green lion. Pidge thought she’d feel something; sadness, or loss, or longing, but she just felt hollow. In the end, Matt took control of the green lion and Pidge felt relieved, if not glad, that at least this new Team Voltron was made up of people she knew she could work with. 

Her relief was short lived. She and the new paladins had flown off. Pidge felt odd now being at the right side of the formation. Of course they couldn’t form Voltron, her team hadn’t been able the first time either, but it was progress. 

Until a voice crackled through intercom, “Captain Shirogane?” 

There was static a few seconds before Shiro’s reply, “yes?” 

The next two words rocked Pidge’s soul. “They’re coming.” 

Pidge was the first to recover herself, “What do you mean they’re coming.” 

“Command estimates their arrival in just a few minutes.” 

Pidge looked at Shiro’s stunned face on her screen. “What do you mean a few minutes?” he demanded, “We evacuated the entire coalition to Earth because it was estimated it would take at least a year for them to get this far with that weapon!” 

“Well,” said Pidge an enormous lump in her throat, “we were wrong” 

The voices of the new paladins all echoed over each other but Pidge could not make out their words. A huge light burst in the sky as if the sun had exploded and before Shiro could even say, “Form Voltron,” everything was gone. 

In the resounding whiteness that occurred after death, Pidge could one hear one reverberating voice “Choose.”

Gradually the whiteness became less blinding. She felt, rather than saw, that she was back in her usual body in the linen clothes she had first arrived in. In front of her in an orange hover cart lounged a four-armed, green alien that she recognized instantly as Bob. He was staring at her with a strange expression she couldn’t quite read, his chin resting in his hands. “I might have filled the space with something,” Bob told her indicated the white nothingness that surrounded them, “but I didn’t want to give you anything to hit me with.” 

Pidge flushed recalling the last time she had run into the celestial being. . . and subsequently tackled him to the ground, “You were going to kill Lance, that’s not my fault!”

“Wasn’t it?” Bob didn’t move but his cart floated towards her. “And besides didn’t I just do it again?”

“But. . . this is just a dream right?” 

Bob looked at her as if she were particularly slow, “do you think I have nothing better to do than give you nightmares?” 

As a matter of face she kind of did, but she didn’t tell him that. Instead she said, “Why are you showing me this?”

“Interesting question,” he mused, “Typically I’m a hands off kind of god. You’re pretty lucky to have met me twice, actually.”

Pidge wasn’t feeling particularly lucky. As a matter of fact, she was sure that everything she’d just seen and experienced would leave her traumatized for the rest of her life. She tried to run a hand through her hair but realized it was back in two braids, the same way Lance always did it. “Are you telling me that if I have this baby the entire universe is going to end?” 

Bob hummed and tilted his head back and forth as if he were weighing a decision, “I try not to think so much about the odds they’re rarely so easy to interpret,” he finally shrugged. “Look, I was around before the universe had anything in it and it was B-O-R-I-N-G, boring.”

“I don’t understand.” 

“Mortals rarely do,” he admitted. “The things I showed you might happen, they might not; there are all sorts of decisions that affect the realities. It just so happens that one you’ll have to make might have a little bit more weight.” 

“I thought you didn’t like to think about the odds?” Pidge asked. 

Bob gave her a withering glance, “I can’t decide if I like you or not. Either way I’m tired of you. Be gone.”

“Wait, I have more questions!” Pidge protested even as her vision started faded to black. 

“The decision you make may not be what you think” Bob’s voice echoed in her brain as she slipped into nothingness.  “But you have to choose” 

LANCE

Watching Keith perform CPR on his pregnant girlfriend was not something Lance had ever expected to experience. He was slumped against the back wall of the infirmary while Keith and Allura struggled to get Pidge back. Keith was administering frantic CPR while Allura rushed about hooking her up to various machines. They’d called for medics to come and Allura had ordered Lance to leave the room. He couldn’t bear leaving so he just sank to his knees where he stood. 

Allura hooked a final cord up to pidge and a nearby machine started beeping with every thrust of Keith’s hands. They had all taken first aid at the Garrison. He’d actually been sitting behind Keith when Adam Walsh, Shiro’s boyfriend at the time, was teaching the class. He could still hear his voice, “Cardiac arrest, the sudden stop of a heart, can occur for a lot of reasons you can encounter on the Garrison. There’s heart failure, lack of oxygen, potassium deficiency, and blood loss. Can anyone tell me what you do when cardiac arrest occurs?” 

Professor Walsh had looked pleased when Keith’s hand had been the first to shoot up, “Go ahead, Kogane.”  

The pleased look had disappeared, as it often did for instructors, when Keith opened his mouth, “You dig a hole.” 

At the time, probably assisted by the boyish crush he’d nursed on Keith, Lance had found the comment hilarious. In fact, he’d laughed so hard that he had landed himself in detention right alongside Keith. Hunk had scolded him later about it, and given him a very long lecture about how you never know when the things you learned in class were going to matter in the field. Lance had brushed him off and told him he was going to be a fighter pilot not a medic. Well, he guessed he owed Hunk an apology. 

Three Argalonian medics dressed all in white rushed in. Keith continued his compressions on Pidge as they worked putting a tube down her throat. Lance couldn’t watch. He stared down at his hands. They were trembling and caked with blood and grime and the sight did little to ease his tension.  He heard the sound of a static charge. Usually that sound would make him think of Pidge about to slash out with her bayard but now that thought only pained him. 

“Clear,” said someone and Keith felt rather than saw Keith sit down next to him. 

“This is all my fault,” the other boy muttered, hugging his knees to his chest. 

If the circumstances were any different, Lance might have laughed at him. “Only you could watch somebody else shoot their pregnant girlfriend, see her heart stop right in front of them and somehow thin it’s your fault.”

“”Well it’s not your fault either. She’s going to be okay.” Keith murmured pressing his hand into Lance’s shoulder. “She is. She’s going to be okay.” 

Lance wasn’t sure if Keith was trying to reassure him or himself. “How many minutes?” he asked, remembering again the lesson they had together. 

Keith glanced around in search of a clock, “Since she went fainted about eight, since we started the compressions about four.” He looked at Lance and his face was streaked with tears, “She’s going to be okay. They’re both going to be okay.” 

The sound of charging filled the air again and there was a thunking sound as Pidge’s body thrashed against the bed. Lance cringed, “I just need her. I can’t go on without her.” 

\---- 

Hours later Lance was curled in a chair near the head of Pidge’s bed. The Argalonian medics had gotten her heart pumping again on the third try and had said it was now just a matter of whether or not she woke up.  She had, at least, started breathing on her own and they had removed the tubes from her mouth. She had been dead, really and truly dead, for 15 minutes and her brain had been without oxygen for nearly 4 of them. He had to be prepared, they’d told him for her not to wake up and if she did for her to be different.

Lance was trying not to entertain the possibility that either could or would happen. He would not accept a universe without Katie Holt – his Katie Holt – in it. The others had left him and Allura with her to sponge the blood off of her and change her into a hospital gown. Apparently their “secret” relationship had never been a secret. Keith and Allura knew because they had known from the beginning.  Lance had told Hunk and asked him to keep it a secret but he had told Romelle who had told Coran. Matt had figured it out on his own. Shiro thought that they had already been dating for months and never told anyone else because it would’ve meant he lost “The Plance Pool” bet they had going on. 

Hunk had collected his winnings two weeks earlier after the coalition meeting where everyone witnessed them sneaking into a closet together, but Coran maintained that if the two of them got married before the war’s end then the money would be his. This had led to Hunk spending a day lecturing both of them about the importance of dating a  _ long, long time _ before marriage. They’d both laughed it off at the time but staring at her pale, still face Lance couldn’t help thinking he’d have married her right that moment if he could Hunks bet be damned. 

He didn’t care she’d lied. He was hurt, sure, that Keith and Allura had found out before him and that she hadn’t trusted him to still love her after he found out . . . but he couldn’t pretend he wouldn’t have behaved the same way had the roles been reversed. Being forthcoming with his feelings and problems wasn’t exactly his strong suit either.  

The medics had also told him, that the baby still had a heart beat and was stable, though weak and that it was early enough in development that no lasting brain damage should occur as long as gestation went as planned. Lance figured ‘gestation went as planned’ was just a nice way of saying ‘if your girlfriend doesn’t die.’ They said that when she woke up — if she woke up — she would have to be careful. After a trauma of this magnitude and in such unpredictable conditions there was no telling what could happen with the pregnancy. 

He was trying hard not to get attached to the idea of a baby or a family with Pidge. Keith and Allura told him that she hadn’t truly decided what to do and had been waiting to talk to him. He didn’t know what he would have told her had she asked him. He didn’t know what to do. He probably would have said that he would support her no matter what. Of course he wanted a family with her. . . but when he had always imagined it (and he’d imagined it a lot) it had always been when the war was over and they were settled down in a nice house with room for a big garden. Not when they were right in the middle of saving the world. In the end, all he knew was that he wanted Pidge whatever that looked like. 

After he and Allura had gotten Pidge cleaned up Keith had come in with a change of clothes and a towel. He’d left without saying anything and Lance was glad no one had tried to get him to leave Pidge’s side. He’d taken the fastest shower he’d taken in his entire life  in the adjacent bathroom and rushed back to Pidge’s bedside with his hair still sopping wet. 

When he had finished he had found the others, also all changed into more comfortable clothing, waiting for him around Pidge’s bed. The chair closest to her had been saved for him. They all exchanged stories about what had happened to them that night. Lance explained about his dance with Kalastri and his memory blacking out, his fight with Pidge and everything that had happened in the wake of the destruction. It turned out he had been right and the spies, whoever they were, had all lured the Paladins away some way or another. Keith had left Shiro and been summoned to receive a message from his mother when the mind control device was planted on him. Hunk and Shay had slipped away for some alone time and had been locked in a closet. Hunk had ultimately had to bust the door down to escape. 

Shiro and Allura’s story had been the one Lance cared most about. They had been the ones closest to Pidge when everything happened. They had been told that Kalastri wished to meet with them privately and had been escorted to a room off the back of the ballroom. When  the explosion came they immediately searched the surrounding rooms where they had found Pidge under the influence of mind control. She had had the detonator in her hand and immediately attacked Allura while several guards went for Shiro. They were badly outnumbered. At this point in the story Allura had glanced at Matt not saying what everyone else already knew. She had held back fighting Pidge because she was pregnant. Matt obviously didn’t know from his lack of strangling Lance. 

With a significant look Shiro had picked up the story from there. How Matt had found them after Lance had sent him looking for paladins. They’d all been fighting when Taine (Lance had learned that was the name of the spies leaders) had grown tired of it. She’d given the order for Pidge to shoot herself in the head and Matt had lunged for her only for Pidge to knock him unconscious with the butt of her weapon before putting the gun to her temple. Taine had explained she didn’t need to take their lives because the only one she needed was Pidge. 

“That,” Shiro concluded, “was when everyone else got there” Lance wasn’t sure whether or not he was relieved that they were leaving Matt out of the loop when it came to the baby. Sure, in the moment it was making his life easier and he knew that Pidge would want to be the one who told him if she told him at all. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it would lead to an even bigger fall out when it was over. 

They all stayed and talked for a while after that. About whether Pidge was going to wake up, about who those women were and what they were actually up to, what it was they had been stealing, and whether Kalastri had been in on the plot. 

“If he was in on it,” said Keith, “he was in on it alone. All of his advisors and close guards have been interrogated. No one knows anything.” 

Eventually everyone started yawning. Allura had dozed off in her chair. Shiro, likely sensing that Lance wanted to be alone with Pidge had suggested everyone head back to their rooms and get some rest. They had all stood up, Hunk poking Allura awake and helping her to her feet. 

Matt lingered when the others had all left the room. He hadn’t met Matt’s eyes the entire time but he did now and they were red rimmed. They were so similar to Pidge’s that is sent a pang through his heart. He might never see her open her eyes again. “I’m sorry,” Matt said hoarsely. 

“I’d probably do the same thing if someone shot one of my sisters,” Lance admitted flatly. He’d probably do the same thing if he found out some guy had knocked his sister up too but that was beside the point. 

“No, really,” Matt continued, “I’ve always been protective of Katie and. . . well, I judged you harshly even before tonight. You take care of her even when I can’t and I’m glad she has you.” 

Lance opened his mouth but he couldn't think of a single thing to reply with. Especially since he knew Matt would not be saying any of those things if he knew the whole truth. “I’ll get you first,” Lance choked out, “when she wakes up.” 

Matt had simply nodded and left, closing the door behind him. That had been hours ago. A glance at the clock told him that it was now approaching 4 am — nearly sunrise on Argalon. He hadn’t been able to sleep even though there was another bed in the room. He wasn’t able do much at all but sit there with her hand in his. He was so tired that he thought he might have been dreaming when he felt her hand twitch in his. 

He sat up so quickly his head spun. Had he imagined it? But no. Her hands were opening and closing and her face was scrunching up as if she was having a nightmare. 

“Pidge?” He asked frantically, gripping her hand tightly. 

Her voice was hoarse and cracking but she croaked out, “Lance,” and it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever heard. 

“Katie, my love, come back to me,” he pleaded planting a kiss on her knuckles. 

Her eyes fluttered and she suddenly sat bolt upright, startling Lance from his chair. She looked around frantically for a second before her eyes landed on Lance, “The universe is going to end in 7 months!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what you're thinking. Two updates in under a week? Who is this person and what has she done with Blue Olympus. I'll be real with you. I'm getting a lot done on this because I have a costume that's only half done that I'm competing in two weeks so I'm procrastinating.   
> It's only kind of a problem.   
> As always thanks for your support~~  
> -Blue


	14. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge makes a revelation to the group

LANCE

“The universe is going to end in 7 months.” 

Lance, who was still sprawled on the floor where he’d fallen, had imagined a litany of romantic things he and Pidge might have said to one another when she woke up. All of those things flew out of his mind the moment of Pidge's proclamation and he found himself simply saying, “ _ What? _ ” 

“I know what they're doing,” she wheezed, “Bob, he--” 

“Bob. . . The game show host?”  Lance hoisted himself back up into his chair and reached for his tablet. Without taking his eyes off Pidge, he keyed out a simple message to the rest of the ship:  _ awake; talking _ . “Katie, what are you talking about?” 

Pidge seemed to notice Lance for the first time. She'd already been gasping for breath but when her eyes lit on him all remaining air seemed to go out of her.  She mouthed something, Lance thought it might have been his name, but all that came out was a puff of air. 

She tried to lunge for him but the machinery she was still attached to stopped her short. She frantically pulled at the cords and probes attached to her and had already removed everything but her IV by the time Lance caught ahold of her and held her firmly to his chest. 

The heart monitor had started wailing, signaling it could find no pulse, but Lance did nothing to silence it. He just squeezed Pidge as tightly against him as he dared. A sob racked through her small frame and he felt the wetness of her tears against the skin of his neck. Her fingers wound in the back of his shirt as she whispered, “I thought you were gone.” 

He tried to draw back to look her in the face but she was clutching him too tightly. Instead, he just pressed his lips against her braided hair in a kiss, “Katie, I'm right here. I never left and I never will”

Apparently, that hadn't been the right thing to say because Pidge started sobbing harder. Before he could say anything else to try to comfort her, the door flew open. Matt burst in, looking out of breath with his shirt inside out and only one slipper on. “What happened?!” he was shouting but skidded to a halt when he saw the scene in the room. 

He took a deep breath and his body visibly relaxed. “I heard the heart monitor and I thought. . .” He trailed off and walked to the machine his hands shaking as he switched it off. The silence left in its wake was resounding. 

Matt came to sit at the foot of the bed but Pidge made no move to crawl from Lance’s lap where she was still silently sobbing into his shoulder. She flinched slightly when Matt's hand touched her back, rubbing a small circle between her shoulder blades. After a few moments she let go of Lance and moved to hug her brother before leaning back against her pillow looking absolutely exhausted.

She put a hand to her throat as if she had only just realized that it was sore, “Water,” she choked out. Lance moved to get it for her but her hand shot out to stop him, “don't leave me.” 

Matt smiled and patted Pidge's knee and got to his feet, “I'll be back in a minute.” 

When he was gone Pidge looked at Lance, “Tell. . . Him?” she managed despite her dry throat

Lance shook his head, “No,  _ mi vida,  _ we didn't tell him.” When she sunk deeper into her pillows he couldn't tell whether it was in relief or something else. 

“Talk?” Her eyes communicated everything her voice couldn't. 

Lance leaned forward and cupped her bruised face in his hand. “Hey, we can talk later,” He planted a soft kiss against her lips. They were cracked and dry but they were hers and she was here and she was alive and she was his and he thought it might have been the best kiss he'd ever had. “I love you so much,” he said before kissing her again.    
When Matt reentered Shiro, Coran, Romelle, and the other paladins were with him. Allura, Keith, and Hunk were the last to enter and as they did Pidge’s shoulders visibly slumped in relief. He wasn’t sure what that was about but he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze anyway. 

 

“The universe. . . everything is going to end in seven months,” Pidge said again and it wasn’t any less strange this time around. 

Whatever reaction Pidge had been expecting, Lance knew the one she got wasn’t it. Everyone stared at her blankly, he imagined he could hear crickets chirping in the silence. Finally, Keith said, “Who are you, Slav?” 

Pidge glared daggers at him, “I mean it. I saw Bob in a dream and he showed me.” 

That piqued Coran’s interest. “You met Bob a second time? That's unheard of!” 

Allura sat on the edge of Pidge’s bed opposite of where Lance perched. “Pidge you were out a long time. You— you were dead for several minutes. It isn't unheard of for such things to cause hallucinations.”

“I'm not crazy!” Pidge insisted thought Lance privately thought the frantic look in her eyes was just a bit crazy. “I know what they're up to. I know what they stole! It's an element called Sylaxius and they're going to use it for a world destroying weapon!” 

At that everyone started talking at once. Allura,ever the voice of reason, was trying to tell Pidge that her nightmare hadn't been real and Pidge was insisting it had been. Matt was asking who the hell Bob was and why he was someone they should listen to. Hunk had approached Pidge and was trying to ask her if he could get her anything to make her feel better while Shiro pelted her for details about this Sylaxius and its uses. Coran started going on about Bob's history and all the brave warriors in the stories that had survived his presence and Romelle listened raptly asking him questions about the warriors. 

Lance grabbed Pidge's hand again and tried to catch her eye for her to communicate what she wanted him to do. It stung more than a little bit when the person she turned to with big, pleading, honey colored eyes wasn't him but Keith. Lance caught the sight of Keith's slight nod before the Black Paladin raised his voice and shouted,“Shut up! All of you!”

The silence was immediate and deafening. Everyone had the good grace to look at least slightly abashed at the scene they had been making at their friend's sickbed. 

“When had Pidge not been the most sensible of all of us? But she's sick and she's. . .” he trailed off with a quick glance at Matt. “She gets sick and suddenly you're not sure she can tell the difference between dreams and reality? Now Pidge is going to tell us exactly what she saw and we are going to be quiet and respectful and hold our questions to the end.” 

Everyone nodded and silently found seats around the room. Perching on countertops and the other beds and the couple chairs in the room.  When everyone had settled Pidge began her story. There were a few moments where she looked significantly at Lance and he knew she was leaving something out that she would tell him later. She told them of seeing a world where the paladins had all been killed but her and they reformed voltron only to ultimately destroyed with the sylaxius weapon. Then she described the conversation she’d had with Bob in which he’d charged her with saving everything.

When she finished everyone stared at her in silence.Lance saw a spark of irritation in her eyes, “Well?” She said as if she were challenging them to tell her they didn’t believe her. 

“That’s. . . a lot.” Matt said and a chorus of agreements came from around the room. 

Matt looked as though he were deep in thought. “Wait. . .” He said though no one was talking. He had been staring down at his lap for the duration of the story but he looked up now with fright in his eyes. 

“I know what they’re building and I know why they want Pidge.” 


	15. One Option

PIDGE

“Well, tell us why!” Lance exclaimed at Pidge’s brother. 

Pidge wasn’t listening. Her mind was moving too fast and it was leaving her friends behind. Suddenly she remembered her father, over five years earlier, with tears in his eyes as he described what he had endured in the Galra prison camp. 

“You don’t have to do this, dad” Matt had said gently, placing a hand on their father's arm. 

“I do,” Samuel Holt had replied with a sniff, “I have to confess.”

“Confess?” Pidge had asked, “Dad whatever you did it was done under duress. They would have killed you without a second thought.” 

“It might have been better that way,” he admitted, “I just couldn't bear the thought of never seeing you kids again so I. . . I did as they asked.”

“What did you do?” asked Matt before Pidge could offer anymore words of encouragement to their father. His voice had been harsher than she would have used. 

“They wanted a weapon. There's a hyper reactive element called Sylaxius. Galra scientists theorized what could be done with it but I was the one who realized its true potential.” Sam had run a hand over his face. He'd never looked older to Pidge than he had in that moment. “I thought if I excelled they would let me go. I didn't know — had no way of knowing that you children were working to save the Galaxy as I working to destroy it. I was a fool.” 

“What are you saying?” Matt looked apprehensive. As if he already knew what his dad was about to say. Pidge was still unsure how to feel. She knew she and Matt would both allow the Galra to kill them before they would further their cause. But they had context their father had never had before. They had seen the universe and knew what was at risk. He would only have thought of getting back to them. It was hard to be upset about that. 

“I designed a weapon,” Sam sobbed into his hands. “A weapon to destroy worlds.”

Back in the present Matt had just finished explaining the same thing to the rest of the group. Pidge had nearly forgotten about the exchange. They had never mentioned the issue to anyone else. They had just remained on their guard for quite some time, but her dad had said they had never finished building the first prototype. After enough time had passed and there was no word of Sylaxius or of a weapon they had all figured that the designs had been forgotten, unable to be completed without Sam's guidance. It had slipped to the back of her memory where useless things resided, like what her phone number had been when she was in 5th grade and the capital of every U.S. state. Yet here it was. Finally rearing its head. 

Lance was clutching Pidge's hand as if she was liable to slip through his fingers at any moments. It might have been true. She felt a deep sense of unreality. As if she were still in one of Bob's visions and she might dissolve into dust on the wind on any moment. 

Matt finished describing the specifications of the weapon and everyone gaped wide mouthed. PIdge’s hand was damp and she was unsure whether hers was sweating or Lance’s was.

“So. . .” Hunk began, breaking the silence, “It's the Death Star?”

Matt looked weary, “Yeah,” he sighed with a self deprecating laugh, “it's kind of like the Death Star.” 

“And this. . . Death Star is what we believe the enemy to be working on?” Allura asked seriously. 

“I'm sorry,” Keith cut in before anyone could reply “But can we not call the thing that could be the destruction of all life in the entire universe a name from Star Wars? I don't even like Star Wars.” 

“You don't like Star Wars?” Shiro asked, looking like he was about to rethink his entire relationship. It was as if not liking Star Wars were a personal affront to his character.

“How do you not like Star Wars? You're a space warrior. We're practically Jedi. You have to like Star Wars.” Hunk supplied rather unhelpfully. The non-humans in the room were looking stunned as if the conversation had shifted into a language none of them understood.  

“Okay, this is so beside the point,” Lance interrupted before more science fiction media discourse could ensue,  “Can we get back to the actual problem?”

“Right,” agreed Shiro, looking abashed. He wasn't usually the one to pursue these off topic discussions and being corrected by Lance of all people was probably a blow. “How long will it take them to develop this weapon now that we know that's what their after?”

“That's not what I meant,” Lance was looking at Matt as he spoke. “I mean why do they want Pidge. We know they're trying to build this weapon. Commander Holt is back on Earth. It's too far without a teleduv so getting him isn't an option for them, I get that. But I guess, and no offense Matt, but why don't they take you instead?”

“None taken,” Matt replied putting his hands up in a placating gesture, “Actually, I was kind of wondering the same thing.”

“Because you're dead,” answered Pidge, speaking up for the first time since Matt's revelation. At everyone's blank looks she continued, “If they looked into Samuel Holt's two kids they'd have found your gravestone just like I did. And they wouldn't have had any reason to question it. Not when everyone knows who Pidge Holt is.” 

“That's right,” Shiro agreed, “Even if they did discover that Matt wasn't dead, he'd be much harder to find with him usually being so deep undercover with the coalition. Pidge is a paladin of Voltron. Everyone knows that and they usually know where we can be found. Pidge would be much easier to track down.” 

Matt’s unease had not let up the entire conversation. Pidge could see the worry lines between his brow. She wondered if he moisturized. If not he was going to have some  _ incredibly _ deep frown lines in the next two years “But they had to have known. Not only just the family resemblance when they saw us together, but before they knocked me out I called her my sister.”

“To be fair, all of you humans do look alike,” said Shay earning dirty looks from various parties around the room. Hunk snickered behind his hand. 

“But also,” Said Allura leaning forward intently. “Why do you think they only knocked you out when they could have killed you? If it didn't work out with Pidge they would have had you as backup.”

“And we inadvertently thwarted them by us both leaving,” said Matt with a dawning look of realization. 

“Yes, but why is Pidge the first choice?” Lance demanded making an expressive gesture with his free hand.

“Why shouldn't I be the first choice?” Pidge asked indignantly. 

Lance’s eyes widened, “What? No! I just meant—” 

“They were all women.” Keith interrupted before Lance could say what he meant. Pidge squeezed her boyfriend’s hand to signify that she wasn't actually cross with him. 

“What?” Asked Allura turning to face the black paladin. 

Keith shrugged, looking uncomfortable with the weight of the entire room's gaze on him. “Didn't anyone else notice? The entire wait staff, all of the enemy soldiers and spies we saw, were women.” 

“So what?” Asked Lance with a nervous laugh, “this is some sort of sorority of death?” 

“Basically,” Keith affirmed leaning back against the counter. “There’s no telling why, but I’m willing to bet they have a team of all women and they want to keep it that way.” 

“Well,” said Shiro and he was Captain Shirogane again for that moment, “I guess that leaves only one thing to do.”

Keith nodded as if he had read his boyfriend’s mind. He turned to Coran and Allura, “Set a course for Earth.” 

***

Everyone cleared out of the infirmary eventually. Coran and Allura had to set the warp point. It would take 3 separate jumps to reach Earth from Argalon. The rest had distributed to take care of final duties or inform other officials of what they had learned. There was a spy in their midst yes, but this was too important not to let the other leaders know. Matt decided to comm ahead to their father and let him know to be watchful. Pidge and Lance were left alone. 

Pidge couldn’t remember the last time she had felt a silence between her and Lance had been awkward. They were best friends. Had been best friends for five years or longer. Any silences they shared were typically the companionable kind where they worked separately and just enjoyed each other's presence.  Yet now, as he moved from her bed to the chair so that he could face her, she didn’t think she’d ever heard a silence more awkward. 

“So. . .” He said twiddling his thumbs. He seemed to be looking at everything in the room but for her. “God, I’m sorry, Katie.” 

“Sorry?” Pidge repeated. She shifted in bed. She hadn’t been anticipating an apology. “What could you possibly be sorry for?” 

Lance raised his eyebrows and a little of the humor slid back into his features, easing the awkwardness if only slight. “Well let’s see,” he began, starting to tick the items off each of his fingers. “I got you pregnant, I waited until we both almost died to ask you out, I didn’t notice I got you pregnant even though in hindsight you tried to mention is several times, I let myself get mind controlled and made out with a psycho terrorist lady, while under that mind control I said some terrible things to you, I didn’t stay with you and let you get mind controlled by a psycho terrorist lady, I almost killed Keith, I shot you.” 

He looked up then and the teasing tone in his voice was gone. “I shot my pregnant girlfriend. Who does that? I hurt you and you _ died _ , Katalina. You were dead and I did it. I literally killed you.”

Pidge’s chest ached and it was more than just the cracked ribs from the chest compressions and the soreness from the defibrillator, “Lance, none of that was your fault. . . You trusted your instincts and its fine. I’m fine. I’m alive.” She grabbed his hand and placed it against her chest sao he could feel her heartbeat, ignoring the pain of it. “You didn’t kill me. You saved me. It was an impossible situation no one saw a way out but you did.” 

Lance slid forward from his chair and Pidge braced herself for him to embrace her. She didn’t care if it hurt, she would hold him if he needed it. But he didn’t wrap her in his arms. He slid onto his knees and buried his face in her lap, sobbing. Pidge was speechless. She had seen Lance cry a few times. He had teared up when he finally reconnected with his family. He had cried the time that they had been set adrift in space for days on end. She had never seen him sob before. 

“Lance. . .” She whispered feeling as though her heart might break at the sight of him like this. She shifted so she could put her arms around her and twine her fingers in his hair. 

“I’m so sorry,” he choked out, his body shaking with sobs. Pidge had never felt so helpless. He pressed his face harder into her lap as if he were trying to smother himself in the blankets. “I’ve never wanted to have never been a paladin before, but I do now,” He said when his sobs quieted. His voice was still thick with the after effects of his tears. 

“Come on, you don’t mean that,” Pidge chided gently. She tugged lightly on his arms and he moved to sit beside her once again. He wrapped his arms loosely around her middle, carefully avoiding the gunshot wound in her shoulder. 

“None of this ever would have happened if I had just stayed in my stupid room that night at the Garrison. I’m the one that dragged you and Hunk into this mess. Every bad thing that has happened to either of you since then is my fault.” He leaned his head back against the headboard with a  _ thunk _ that sounded rather painful. Pidge rubbed at the place where she had hit her head on the ground in sympathy.

“I think you’re forgetting that I snuck out without you. If you and Hunk hadn’t come out I still would have been on the roof and seen the whole thing. I still would have gone after Shiro to try to find my family and with all the times you’ve saved my life —- all of our lives I think things would be a lot worse than they are now if you hadn’t left your room that night. I think the Galra would have already won.” She told him and she realized as she said it that it was true. Even if Blue had somehow accepted one of them without Lance there, if they had made it to space without him or Hunk, Voltron would have failed.

Lance didn’t say anything and she knew he was trying to think of a way to refute what she had said. After a moment it was evident he couldn’t think of anything because he simply said, “Fine,” and his voice was shaking a little less than before. They sat in silence for a while after that and this time it wasn’t awkward. Pidge nestled herself in the crook of his arm and despite everything that had happened and everything that was still yet to come, she felt content as long as she remained in that moment. But maybe that was just the concussion talking. 

“I’m sorry, too,” Pidge said into the silence, “for keeping things from you.” 

Lance moved restlessly, “I think I would have been mad,” he admitted, “had the ball gone on like it should have and you had told me afterward. I think I would have been mad that Keith was the first person you told and that he was the one to be checking on you and taking care of you when that should have been me.” 

Pidge opened her mouth to apologize again but Lance kept going, “but if anything these past couple days I have gained some perspective. I’m not mad. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to be there for you, but I’m glad to know that someone was. Even if that someone was Keith. I understand why you didn’t tell me in the first place.” 

“Well, I’m sorry anyway. If I hadn’t been so stubborn. . . Nevermind. It’s in the past. I can’t change it. We have to focus on now and the future,” She sighed. She couldn’t believe that after all this they were finally having this conversation. She couldn’t believe it had only been two months since their mission in Bulonak when the whole thing had started. “What do you think?” 

“Me?” Lance seemed surprised at being asked,  “Well, I admit this isn’t how I imagined starting a family with you.”  

Pidge felt a blush rise to her cheeks, “you imagined starting a family about it.” 

It was Lance’s turn to blush, “Well, I — uh. . .” 

“Tell me about it,” She asked and snuggled in closer to him. 

She could tell he was smiling when he spoke again though she was now turned away from his face, “Well, first I had to figure out how to get you to fall in love with me.” 

“I’ve been in love with you since I was 15 years old,” Pidge said accusingly.    
“Yes, and apparently everyone knew that but me. You don’t need to rub it in,” Lance laughed and brushed a quick kiss against her hair. “Once you were in love with me I’d have to wait until the right moment to ask you to marry me but I probably would have jumped the gun and asked you after some near death experience. Which, I know, is not very romantic.”

“We have a lot of those,” Pidge replied trying to sound thoughtful rather than giddy. 

“I know, right? I almost asked you to marry me after the Narlexium incident but I figured you didn’t want to be proposed to whilst covered in hives after we’d only officially been dating for like two hour,” He admitted and Pidge couldn’t help but giggle, “The other reason I wouldn’t wait long to propose is because mi abuelita is Catholic and she wouldn’t like me shacking up with a girl I wasn’t married to even if she was the smartest, prettiest girl in the universe. You know I’d do anything for Abuelita.” 

“So it has to be a Catholic wedding?” Pidge asked, trying to sound thoughtful rather than giddy or, God forbid, eager. 

“Katie, I would marry you right now in an Argalonian courthouse if you wanted,” Lance said, his voice light. She could tell he was trying not to make it sound too much like a real proposal. “Y’know, if Argalon had courthouses and you were able to stand,” He added as an afterthought.

“I’m not sure such a union would be recognized in the eyes of the church or the US government,” She teased, “Maybe in the backyard back on Earth with pizza for catering, we could have Shiro get ordained online and he could marry us.” 

Lance laughed, “That sounds perfect. Now starting a family that’s a whole other story. Ideally, we would have been married for a little while so we could just enjoy being together. We would probably be older than 20 and 22.  The war would have been over.” 

“All valid points,” Pidge agreed. 

Lance leaned his cheek against the top of her head. “We’d have two kids, a boy and a girl, and we’d have a house with a big yard and a dog and maybe some chickens. And we would go to all of their soccer games and robotics club competitions. We’d tell them stories about outer space for bed and leave out all the scary parts. We’d be happy and safe and the ware would be over. Eventually, maybe we’d forget all the scary parts too.” 

“That sounds perfect,” Pidge said and suddenly she felt like crying, “I wish it was like that.” 

“I know,” he whispered idly playing with one of her braids. “Unfortunately it isn’t, and we have to deal with that.” 

Pidge nodded, “If it were just me and you I know exactly what I would do. If it were just that I’m only 20, or just that we weren’t married, or just that we haven’t been together long I know that I want to have a family with you, but. . .” 

“What did, Bob actually show you?” Lance prodded gently.

So she told him. She told him everything she had left out when everyone else had been in the room. She told him about the world where they were no longer even friends. Then she told him about their daughter being born and about the world ending because she hadn't gone with them to form Voltron. The entire coalition wiped out in a single instant because of a choice she made. 

“Katie,” Lance said when she was finished, “you have to know that no matter what happens I'm never going to leave you.”

“But you did,” Pidge told him trying not to get choked up. “Or I left you. It doesn't matter, that's the world where we win.” 

“Those people aren't us. Maybe you even knowing about that changes things. I won't accept that the only way to save the universe is us breaking up,” Lance said and there was a fierceness in his tone that was typically reserved for battle.

“Bob told me to choose,” Pidge said, turning again to face him. “He said my decision would be what made the difference.” 

Lance searched her face. He must have seen the seriousness there because his voice was solemn, “I hate to say it, but. . .” 

Pidge already knew what he was going to say. She knew because she always knew what he was thinking. For better or worse she knew Lance McClain better than anyone else. “If it comes down to the two of us being unhappy versus the destruction of sentient life as we know it, then there's only one option?” Pidge completed for him, tears welling up in her eyes. 

“There's only one option,” He agreed with the saddest smile Pidge had ever seen. “But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try my damndest for the two of us to stay together.” 

“Good,” Pidge sniffled, “me too,” 

“I better go see when we're leaving,” Lance said swiping at his eyes to hide the tears from her. “I'll be back in a few minutes.” 

“I love you,” Pidge told him as he stood up. 

He smiled at her and this time it was a little less sad, “I love you too, Katie Holt.” He brushed off his pants though there was nothing on them. 

_ It's not the choice you think _ , Bob had told her. And yet what other choice could it be? She had to prioritize the universe over herself and over Lance. Otherwise, what would be the point? 

“Hey, maybe in another universe you got pregnant at the right time,” Lance said with a sideways grin, “And for that Pidge and Lance everything is perfect.” 

“You're pregnant!?” Matt's voice took them both by surprise. They both turned to see the door opened with the entire team on the threshold. 

“Ohh. . .” Said Hunk, slowly backing from the room, “Maybe we should have knocked first.” 

“You son of a bitch,” Matt yelled. Keith lurched forward to grab his arm but Matt was too fast. 

Faster than should have been possible Matt was across the room. Lance stood stock still, too aghast for response. 

“Matt, I—” Pidge began, but before she could get out another word her older brother had swung his fist. The sound as it connected with Lance's jaw was deafening in Pidge’s ears. But not as deafening as the sound when Lance hit the floor, knocked out cold. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the delay in posting this. I had it half done for a long time and I got distracted working on another fic, then I've been having lap top troubles. I uploaded this from my phone so if it looks crazy thats probably why.   
> Please let me know what you think!   
> (And if you like My Hero Academia check out my newest fic)


	16. A Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Matt tries to fight everybody and it doesn't work out great for anybody.

KEITH

Keith, who by rights was the leader of this ship, was beginning to feel like he never really had been in control. He felt like he watched Lance crumple to the ground in slow motion. He had had the time to move away. Matt was good, Keith knew that, but he wasn't beat the red paladin in hand to hand combat kind of good. No, Lance had turned, seen Matt coming, and not moved at all. For some reason that evaded Keith's understanding, Lance had allowed himself to be knocked out. 

The world sped back up as Pidge, who was on bedrest and was not supposed to be moving, sprang to her feet as quick and lithe as a cat. “Are you fucking kidding me?” She screamed. Though she was nearly a whole head shorter than her brother she stood toe to toe with him, staring up at him with defiance in her eyes. 

“Me!?” Matt shouted right back, his face inches from hers, “Are  _ you  _ fucking kidding me?” 

“I am an adult,  _ Matthew. _ This is none of your business.” Pidge said coolly. She didn’t raise her voice but if looks could kill Keith thought that Matt would be a goner. 

“You’re a kid. And a stupid kid, apparently, if you’d let a guy like that get you pregnant,” Matt shot back. 

Keith, who had never been one to be able to read people’s faces very well, was still able to see the hurt look flash across Pidge’s face before she returned to the angry expression. Keith turned to Shiro, who was standing behind him looking just as stunned as everyone else and gave him a significant look. Shiro shook his head as if to clear it and began ushering the rest of the team from the room. 

“You know your opinion of Lance seems to be pretty situational,” Pidge was saying when Keith turned back towards them. Neither of the Holt siblings seemed to be aware of nor care about his presence. “And excuse me if I don’t take relationship advice from that can’t get a date with the entire gods damned galaxy at his disposal.” 

“This isn’t about me!” Matt shot back. Keith was debating whether he should fetch Lance from the floor and sneak out of the room. “This is about you and how irresponsible you are! You’re better than this. You were never supposed to end up one of those girls.” 

“Those girls?” Pidge scoffed, “Do you understand how archaic you sound right now? Who are those girls, Matt? Girls who get pregnant? Well, sorry to burst your patriarchal, misogynistic bubble but I am one of  _ those girls _ . And —  big surprise — it has nothing to do with you or what you think about it.” 

Keith knew that Matt’s opinion had always been one of the most important things to her. Matt knew it too, but he was apparently too caught up in the moment to reflect. Pidge was the closest thing Keith had to a sister and sure he hadn’t been happy when he found out but. . . What was with the way guys act around their sisters? If Keith had had a real sister would he act this way, say mean things he probably didn’t mean. Being an only child seemed kind of like a blessing in that aspect. On the ground, Lance was beginning to stir. Keith really had to figure out what to do before someone got hurt. He really wanted to let Pidge and Matt talk alone but something about the energy in the room made it hard for him to leave. 

Standing like that with their nostrils flaring they looked so remarkably similar that it gave Keith a moment of pause. There was also the fact that the look on Pidge's face was terrifying and he didn't want to interrupt. Though the last time he'd seen Pidge make that face she had judo flipped Lance for misplacing some of her tools. The fact she might hurt herself trying something similar in her current condition is what hurtles Keith forward. He grabbed Matt by the shoulder meaning to say something authoritative and cool to make him back off. He didn’t know what authoritative, cool thing he’d say because Matt swung out again as soon as Keith’s hand made contact with his shoulders. The black paladin ducked so as not to join Lance on the ground. 

“Can you stay out of this?” Matt growled

“I don’t know, can you be mature about this?” Keith quipped ducking yet another blow. 

“Stop!” Pidge was shouting from the side of her bed. “Oh my god, stop!” 

Keith was now making the scene that Lance had avoided by allowing himself to get knocked out. Lance was a better tactician than people gave him credit for. Keith hadn’t meant to get in a fight with Matt. People were a lot more emotional about this sort of thing than he anticipated. How hard really was it to say ‘I support you’ and then do it? 

“I can’t believe you let this happen,” Matt spat, aiming a kick at Keith’s head, “Aren’t you supposed to be a leader?” 

“Quit!” Pidge yelled again and from the corner of his eye, he saw her dive over the bed. Did she really think they might hurt her? Matt was mad, but he’d have never actually hurt Pidge. Hurting Lance, who had gotten her pregnant? Or Keith who was supposed to be the leader? Those things were apparently acceptable. 

“I’m a paladin of Voltron, not the chaperone on a field trip, Holt.” Keith retorted. He misstepped and Matt took advantage, tackling him to the ground. 

“What the?” Keith could make out the sound of Lance’s groggy voice from nearby. He must have just come to. Hopefully, he’d help Keith restrain Matt and they could take him somewhere to cool down where Pidge could try having this conversation again. 

“I’m not going to ask you to stop again!” Pidge said, warning in her tone. Keith wasn’t sure what she intended on doing to enforce that. She wasn’t exactly in any state to pull them off each other. Keith would have loved to stop. He was wishing he had collected Lance when he had the chance and escaped. But, if he stopped now Matt would pin him to the ground and pummel him, which was not his idea of a good time. 

“Um, Katie?” Lance said a note of concern in his voice. 

Keith wished he had a better vantage point of what was going on instead of rolling around the room with Matt. Then there was a  _ zap _ and a flash of light and Matt fell away from him. Stunned and a little sore, Keith scrambled up onto his elbows. Matt was dazed, lying on the ground next to him. Lance was still on the floor near the bed in a similar position as Keith, and Pidge. . . Pidge was standing over all of them with her bayard in her hand. 

“Katie, I don’t think tasing him was the way to make him less angry,“ Lance laughed nervously. He rose to his feet, dusted off his jeans and moved to Pidge’s side.

Keith stood up too. He slid his arm under Matt’s armpits and hoisted him up. His head lolled dazedly to the side. “How’d you know you wouldn’t hit me?” Keith asked. 

Pidge shrugged, “I only needed to hit one of you to stop the fight,” she said and Lance wiped at his face to hide a smirk.  

“Hey, I was just trying to help,” Keith said though he wasn’t that offended. 

Pidge pointed her Bayard at him threateningly, “You know I can take care of myself right?” 

Keith raised his eyebrows at her and shifted Matt’s weight to his shoulders, “I was aware,” he replied dryly. 

“Are you though,” she waved the bayard vaguely in the air, “because ever since. . . you know — you’ve been very protective.” 

Keith glanced at Lance, who was pretending to be very interested in the corner of the bed sheet. “Look, Pidge, I know this has been hard for you and I’m sorry if I overstep, but stop seeing an insult in everything.” Pidge looked affronted but she didn’t reply so Keith pressed on, “You’ve been so caught up in what you think everyone thinks that you’ve been reckless. If it helps, I’d be just as protective of anyone else on the team if they were bleeding internally. . .” He shot her his best Shiro-disappointed-dad face and she sheepishly got back into bed. “Whether they were pregnant or not.” 

Pidge heaved a heavy sigh. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m also sorry for almost tasing you and that my brother hit you and for making you get involved in the first place.” She indicated the chair by her bed, “You can leave Matt, I’ll talk to him alone.” 

Keith didn’t think he imagined the look of relief that came across Lance’s face at that. Keith did as he was told, depositing the still drooling Matt in the chair. Pidge was using her tough girl voice that he had learned meant she was trying not to cry until he left the room. Normally he did leave, thinking it was better to allow her her privacy. This time he sat down on the bed beside her and held out his arms. She sniffled twice before she fell into him. “You don’t have to be sorry,” He said, holding her gingerly. 

Keith wondered how this all might have played out differently if he had convinced Pidge to tell Lance on that first day. If he and Pidge would have grown as close over the last couple of months if she had had Lance rather than him to rely on. If Lance and Pidge would have ended up together and happy like they were now. He wasn’t Bob or Slav or one to think about the possibilities of alternate universes in general, but he was pretty sure this universe would work out fine for the paladins of Voltron.    
If they could just keep it from getting destroyed. 

LANCE

Lance and Keith had excused themselves from Pidge’s bedside before Matt could fully wake up. He didn’t want his face to cause Matt to go into another frenzy. He knew it would because he would have gone into a frenzy if someone had gotten Veronica or Rachel into a similar situation. Not that Lance imagined that any situation in the history of situations had been similar to his and Pidge’s. Maybe this was why the paladins of old never slept with each other. Still, he didn’t regret it. Being with Pidge, he thought, was worth any hardship along the way. He was so relieved that she was alright, that she was going to live he was feeling that he could take on anything.

No, getting punched in the face was the least he could do. As much as he knew Pidge hated it, her older brother was going to be protective. That was just how it worked. Now hopefully they would be able to keep the information that she was pregnant to those that were on the ship. Lance supported Pidge’s, and all women’s, right to choose, but the last thing they needed when trying to stop the end of the known universe was picketers outside the castle every time they landed.  If he was being honest all he really needed was to stop the end of the universe, and keep Pidge out of weird, villainous clutches. . . and maybe a nap. A nap was beginning to sound very nice. 

“You okay, man?” Keith asked, startling Lance out of his reverie. 

“Huh?” Lance yawned, “Yeah, I just was thinking is all.” He set off toward the ship’s residential quarters with Keith hot on his heels. 

“You’re not mad?” 

Lance touched the sensitive spot on his jaw gingerly. He hadn’t examined it in a mirror yet but he just knew it was going to bruise. “Because Matt punched me? Not really. If it were me I would have done worse. Probably deserved worse,” he shrugged and lowered his hand. 

“That isn’t what I meant,” Keith sighed, pushing back the strands of his hair that had escaped his ponytail in his tussle with Matt. “And you definitely didn’t deserve it.” 

“You don’t have a sister so you wouldn’t get it,” Lance shrugged. He had been heading towards his room, but the smell of food from the kitchen was overpowering. His stomach gave a dissatisfied gurgle and Lance altered his course. 

“Yeah, well when I first heard I wanted to throttle you,” Keith informed him. Lance stiffened slightly at the words but he kept walking, not looking at Keith. He continued, “She was crying and I had this knee jerk reaction to walk next door to your room and beat the shit out of you for ever daring to touch her.” 

“And she asked you not to so you didn’t?” Lance guessed trying to keep the tinge of bitterness out of his voice. 

“No,” answered Keith, “I realized that you were both adults that made a choice that wasn’t my business and all I could do was try to be supportive.” 

Lance wasn’t sure what to say so he didn’t say anything. They reached the kitchen. The smell of whatever it was that Hunk was cooking wafted out enticingly but they didn’t go in. “What I was asking was whether you were mad at me for not telling you,” Keith clarified. 

“Oh,” Lance reached a hand behind his neck and rubbed at a tense spot there. The positions he’d managed to sleep in at Pidge’s bedside had not been comfortable ones. The last 24 hours had not been good for his posture. “I don’t know, man. Do I wish someone told me? Yes. Am I mad at you?  How could I be? You did what Pidge asked and I can’t guarantee that things would have worked out the same for us if you hadn’t.” 

Something twinkled in Keith’s eyes and he smirked, “So you’re telling me thank you?”

Lance whacked him on the shoulder, “don’t ruin the moment, dude.”  Keith was grinning and soon Lance was too. “Okay fine,” Lance said begrudgingly, “thank you.” 

Ha!” Keith hooted triumphantly. 

Lance continued a more serious note in his voice, “No really. You looked out for Pidge when I couldn’t. There’s no way I can thank you for everything you’ve done for both of us.” 

Then Lance McClain, the paladin who gave the most hugs of all of them, was startled by Keith ‘the emo’ Kogane grasping him by the arm and pulling him into an embrace. Maybe Lance was having a long day, but he thought he might have felt a tear sting the back of his eyes. Of course, it was only because he was tired and hungry and sad, it had nothing at all to do with Keith. 

Still, Lance embraced the black paladin back, feeling infinitely better than he had when he left the infirmary. Maybe Keith was getting the hang of this leader thing. Just then the kitchen door wooshed open and Hunk stood there in his ‘kiss the cook’ apron. 

“Oh, I need some of this,” he said and wrapped both Keith and Lance in his arms. He towered over them so much that the two of them fit in his embrace easily. Lance felt some of the air whoosh out of his lungs, but he didn’t mind it at all. 

“Are you group hugging without us?” Asked another voice and Lance craned his neck to see Shiro and Coran coming down the hallway. 

Hunk set them both down and Keith rolled his eyes. Lance thought for a second that he was going to say something to play off the hug but instead, he jerked his head in their direction. Then Shiro and Coran came over and they were all hugging and, yeah, it was a little weird, but it was warm and it was safe and it was family and it felt like home. Suddenly Lance was feeling like everything was right with the universe. 

That feeling wouldn’t last for long.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahem. . . THEY HAD A BONDING MOMENT.


End file.
